Lee Jun-seok says Lee Jae Myung stays up all night on social media

Reform Party lawmaker Lee Jun-seok joined criticism of President Lee Jae Myung's social media activity Monday, saying the president had gone "from someone who stays up all night drinking to someone who stays up all night on social media."

Lee made the remark on his Facebook page, adding that he hoped President Lee would get "at least 52 hours of sleep a week."

The reference to someone "staying up all night drinking" appeared to be aimed at former President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Lee has repeatedly linked Yoon to alcohol, including a 2024 remark in which he described then-People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon as "just Yoon Suk Yeol without the drinking."

The comments came after President Lee sparked controversy Sunday by invoking the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon in a social media post emphasizing his principles of public communication. Opposition figures accused the president of inflicting secondary harm on victims of sexual violence.

In the post, Lee recalled Park as "a brilliant ideas man who always emphasized and enjoyed communicating with citizens" and credited him with teaching Lee the importance of social media as a tool for engagement. Lee shared an anecdote about Park refusing to block users even when his social media feeds were flooded with insults and abusive language.

Although the post was intended as a warning against online abuse, critics called it inappropriate given that Park died by suicide in 2020 after being accused of sexually harassing a female aide.

People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo said on social media that "a presidential message carries a different weight" and that it "should not be so lightweight as to draw inspiration from the social media of a mere sex offender." He called the president's post "clear secondary harm."

Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon also weighed in on social media, saying "the president of the Republic of Korea must not publicly glorify former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon — a man who committed an abuse-of-power sex crime, never apologized to his victim, and died by suicide."

The Justice Party issued a spokesperson statement sharply criticizing the president. "We ask the president: while reminiscing about Park Won-soon, did you not think of the victim of his abuse-of-power sexual violence?" the party said. "The entire nation witnessed a president who glorified a perpetrator of abuse-of-power sexual violence in order to justify his own social media communication style. We are outraged by this clear act of secondary harm — a public tribute to an abuser by the most powerful person in the country."

Kim Jinju (a pseudonym), the victim in the so-called "Busan kick assault case," also left a comment, writing: "Now you're inflicting secondary harm too. I can't bear to watch this anymore — it's disgusting."