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Lee Jun-seok, presidential candidate of the New Reform Party, answers questions from reporters at Chilseong Market in Daegu on May 13. / Photo by Lee Byung-hwa

Lee Jun-seok, presidential candidate of the New Reform Party, took aim at Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung's foreign policy stance on May 13, speaking with reporters in Daegu.

“We all know Lee Jae-myung’s vulgar rhetoric,” Lee said. “He once said, ‘Did you really think he respected them just because he said he did?’—a mindset that, if applied to diplomacy, could have serious consequences. The moment words and intent diverge, South Korea loses international credibility.”

He was referring to a comment Lee Jae-myung made in December 2021 during a youth town hall in Jeonju, where he remarked, “I said ‘respected President Park Geun-hye,’ and people actually believed I meant it.”

Lee Jun-seok also criticized Lee Jae-myung’s mocking tones, such as his use of phrases like “xie xie” and “thank you vely much” in reference to China. “In diplomacy, the first rule is not to mock or provoke the other party. He doesn’t seem to grasp what the real issue is,” he said.

He further accused Lee Jae-myung of double standards: “While he talks about human rights and universal values in domestic politics, he stays silent when it comes to China. That’s why the younger generation criticizes the Democratic Party’s stance on China.”

Lee went on to claim that Lee Jae-myung “used his party as a human shield over the past three to four years to protect himself from prosecution, turning South Korea into a battlefield of political and judicial conflict. He must now face judgment at the ballot box.”

He also reiterated his demand that ruling People Power Party (PPP) candidate Kim Moon-soo drop out of the race, dismissing any possibility of merging campaigns. “After repeated blunders—such as skipping a visit to a fallen officer’s memorial and making crude remarks at a market—he should recognize his limitations and step down.”

“We are committed to winning this election to prevent South Korea from falling into the hands of populists,” he concluded. “We have no interest in the desperate efforts of those who already ruined the country to cling to power.”