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Is harsh language a substitute for leadership?

Published: 18 Nov. 2025, 00:00

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok speaks during a press conference in front of the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, on Nov. 17, calling for a parliamentary investigation into alleged pressure behind the decision not to appeal in the Daejang-dong land development case. [YONHAP]

People Power Party (PPP) leader Jang Dong-hyeok said Monday that “after stuffing 780 billion won [$534 million] into the pockets of criminals, President Lee Jae Myung will get on the presidential plane today and skip out overseas.” His remarks referred to Lee’s trip to the Group of 20 summit in South Africa and subsequent visits to the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Turkey. Although delivered during a press conference criticizing the prosecution’s decision not to appeal in the Daejang-dong case, the description was unbecoming of the leader of the main opposition party. Dismissing a head of state’s diplomatic agenda through a domestic political lens serves neither logic nor national interest.

Even conservatives expressed concern and disappointment over Jang’s choice of words. His comments were clearly intended to intensify pressure on the president and the Democratic Party (DP) after the controversial decision to drop the appeal. At a rally outside the National Assembly on Wednesday, Jang said, “Lee Jae Myung is a disaster to Korea simply by existing.” He claimed that “the reckless sword dance of three special counsels and the lack of a Daejang-dong appeal evoke the shadow of Adolf Hitler,” and added that “Korea has become an animal farm where only the family of Lee Jae Myung can survive.” In many of his speeches, he omitted the president’s title altogether.

Jang’s use of incendiary rhetoric appears aimed at energizing the party’s hardline base. Yet its effectiveness is questionable. Recent polls show little movement in party support. A Realmeter survey released Monday found the DP at 46.7 percent and the PPP at 34.2 percent, largely unchanged. A Gallup Korea poll last week showed a wider gap of 42 percent to 24 percent. Despite the ruling party’s vulnerability over the appeal issue, the opposition’s sustained attacks have yielded no measurable gains.

Jang’s coarse and emotional language also does little to shed light on the prosecution’s decision or on who ultimately benefited from the massive profits generated in the Daejang-dong development. Crude attacks hinder rather than help moderate voters who seek clarity and reason. Such language damages the dignity of political leadership and creates discomfort even among conservative supporters. It does nothing to restrain the excesses of the ruling camp.

Jang must confront the reality that the current strategy is failing to broaden the party’s appeal. The same lesson applies to DP leader Jung Cheong-rae, who has taken a similarly confrontational approach from the opposite side. Both leaders, whose negative ratings outpace their positive ones, should use public sentiment as an opportunity to recalibrate their leadership.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.