President Lee Jae-myung repeatedly urged people to vote ahead of the June 3 local elections' main balloting.
On the 31st, the president wrote on social media (SNS) X that "in a democratic republic, the silence of the sovereign and giving up voting is giving a chance to those who deceive the people, abuse power for private gain, and ruin the lives of me and my family."
He also quoted a phrase attributed to the ancient Greek philosopher Plato: "The price of political indifference is to be ruled by the worst lowlifes."
The president added, "Whether those elected become loyal stewards who enrich my life, or malignant rulers who destroy the world and inflict pain on the people, depends on the hands of the sovereign," and said, "If there are politicians or political groups uncomfortable with these words, they are precisely the entrenched old-guard interests that the sovereign must overcome through voting."
The president's message is seen as aimed at Jang Dong-hyeok, the People Power Party's standing election countermeasures committee chairperson. After finishing early voting on the 29th, the president said on SNS, "Voting is the lifeline of democracy," and, "Giving up voting is like giving up the future of me and my family."
In response, Chairperson Jang wrote on his SNS, "Lee Jae-myung doesn't even bother to hide it now. Openly the Democratic Party's campaign chair," and asked, "Is this really a president's post. Is he not even concerned about the duty of electoral neutrality."