FTC chief deletes Facebook comment questioning voters in wealthy Seoul districts

Fair Trade Commission Chairman Joo Byung-ki posted a comment on Facebook questioning whether voters in southeastern Seoul — including the affluent Gangnam districts — who backed the People Power Party in the June 3 local elections were acting out of "blind faith," "fanaticism" or "self-deception," then deleted it.

Joo left the remark on a post shared Wednesday that broke down party vote tallies across Seoul, writing: "It is truly bitter that citizens' exercise of their rights aligns so neatly with the order of money." He then added: "Is this blind faith that doesn't mind insurrection? Fanaticism? Or self-deception?"

The original post highlighted that the People Power Party tended to perform better in areas with higher real estate prices. Its author described the results as "the most perfect Seoul real estate recommendation map in history, unlike anything seen before."

Joo's comment was deleted around 11 a.m. Thursday, roughly 17 hours after it was posted.

The episode has drawn criticism that a cabinet-level minister publicly commenting on local election results was inappropriate. President Lee Jae Myung said Wednesday that "the government will humbly accept the will of the people expressed in the local elections" and that it "will actively cooperate with newly elected local governments regardless of party affiliation."

[단독]오세훈, 성수동서도 정원오 이겼다…1600표 우위

https://biz.heraldcorp.com/article/10764399