President Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday, the day of the June 3 local elections, again urged citizens to vote, saying, "Do not give up voting for the future of yourself and your family. Find a capable and loyal worker, and be sure to vote."
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, President Lee wrote, "The words 'Let's elect capable and loyal workers. Let's be sure to vote. The result of giving up on politics is being ruled by the most vulgar of human beings' cannot constitute campaigning that favors any particular candidate or camp." His remarks came in response to opposition criticism that called an earlier post — in which he asked, "Did you vote to avoid being ruled by the worst of the vulgar?" — a "blatant trick of election interference."
President Lee said, "Just as advice to live virtuously and not to associate with bad children cannot be construed as taking sides or slandering anyone, unless one considers oneself a bad person, there is no reason to be angry at these words, which are Confucius-like teachings on democracy." He added, "Even a thief may be inwardly angered by the statement that stealing is wrong, but does not show anger outwardly."
He continued, "If anyone thinks that emphasizing the basic principles of democracy and participation in elections constitutes campaigning or a violation of the duty of political neutrality, that person needs to seek out their mother or their kindergarten or elementary school teacher and have an extremely elementary discussion about whether their own moral and democratic standards of judgment are sound." He also stressed, "In a democratic republic, the standards for political judgment must be common sense and the people, and politics should not be about cursing someone and seeking the reflected benefits of accidental failure, but should be a competition to do well."
President Lee also cited former President Lee Myung-bak's remark, "I hope many citizens vote," and former President Park Geun-hye's words, "Please be sure to participate in voting," saying, "No one raised any objection. Because they were right."
He went on, "Citizens of Korea, the sovereigns of the Republic of Korea and the masters of its present and future, do not give up voting for the future of yourself and your family. Find a capable and loyal worker, and be sure to vote."
