Two weeks ahead of the presidential election, the Democratic Party of Korea's main topic is 'mind your words.' With a large gap in approval ratings between candidate Lee Jae-myung and his competitors, concerns have grown that 'slips of the tongue' from both inside and outside the camp could lower voter turnout. For Lee, who lost the last election by a margin of just 0.7 percentage points, this presents a significant challenge. If he comes across as arrogant, it could lead moderate and conservative voters to abstain from voting, as well as cause a backlash from the People Power Party's support base.
On the 20th, candidate Lee stated at a campaign rally in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, 'June 3, the election day, is not a day of overwhelming victory, but a day of overwhelming punishment.' He added, 'We must win even by a single vote. If we give up on voting, we are condoning and assisting the current powers, so I urge you to vote.' Park Chan-dae, the floor leader and chairperson of the campaign committee, also stated recently in a public address, 'Our goal is not overwhelming victory, but to win without fail.'
These remarks coincide with a time when a 'warning against verbal slips' was issued by the campaign committee. On that day, Park sent an urgent notice to party members. He instructed them not to mention 'predicted vote percentages' at speeches, interviews, or broadcasts during the remaining campaign period. He warned that any use of the terms 'overwhelming victory' or 'clear victory' would result in disciplinary action. After party members, including Park Ji-won, mentioned specific figures such as '60%' and '55%' while predicting an overwhelming victory, they were publicly warned of repercussions.
The candidate's own caution regarding his words has also become a topic of discussion. Recently, Lee has stirred controversy with sensitive comments during his campaign, including 'hotel economic theory,' 'coffee cost 120 won,' and 'thank you to China.' Aside from the coffee cost comment, these topics had already caused issues during the last election, but he brought them up again with the intention of breaking through, which has only intensified the controversy. During the presidential candidate TV debates, competitors unleashed attacks on him regarding these statements.
Earlier, on the 16th, Lee spoke at a campaign rally in Gunsan, Jeonbuk, discussing the results of 'valley restoration projects' from his time as Gyeonggi governor. He said, 'Even if you sell chicken after boiling it for an hour while sweating and earn 30,000 won, you can charge 8,000 to 10,000 won for a cup of coffee. I found out the cost is 120 won.' Although it was meant to emphasize administrative achievements through persuasion, many in the cafe industry reacted with outrage, asking, 'Are you saying we exploit excessively?'
Such concerns have been raised since the primary elections. Previously, Lee met with former Prime Minister Jeong Se-kyun right after completing his registration as a presidential candidate on the 16th of last month. It was a private meeting initiated by Lee, who said, 'I want to seek the advice of a senior.' Jeong reportedly told him multiple times, 'You must be careful with your words until the end' and 'You must not make verbal slips.' Notably, it is said that there was also a conversation between the two that highlighted the importance of avoiding mistakes when things are already in place.
At the campaign committee level, there has been consideration of reducing the actual remarks made during field rallies. A key official from the campaign committee stated, 'There was an opinion to reduce the length of speeches,' but added, 'Who can silencing the candidate's mouth? Reducing the speech does not solve the issue.' A political affairs official also noted, 'Considering the supporters who wait a long time to hear speeches, the candidate's remarks tend to get longer.' He suggested, 'The best option would be to avoid any impromptu remarks outside what has already been established.'