A shocking development in South Korea took place recently: a senior official of the ruling Democratic Party, a former lawyer who now leads the Party’s Education and Training Institute, openly advocated for the elimination of opposition voters during a public book talk.
He referred to conservative voters as “No. 2 voters” (a derogatory label for supporters of the People Power Party, South Korea’s main opposition), and stated that if they were “all gathered in one day and buried, democracy would advance.” He also targeted the Yeongnam region (Daegu, Busan, Gyeongbuk, etc.), South Korea’s traditional conservative stronghold and home to strong support for opposition parties and President Yoon Suk-yeol, claiming residents there “lack thought and cannot judge right from wrong.”
This is not a mere slip of the tongue. It represents a disturbing call for the political elimination of South Korea’s pro-freedom electorate, undermining democratic norms and dehumanizing millions of citizens.
From The New Daily on September 4, 2025.
Full Article Translation below:
Title: Exclusive: In 2nd-victimization scandal, Choi Kang-wook — “If we gather the ‘No. 2 voters’ in one day and bury them, democracy will advance”
Choi Kang-wook, head of the Democratic Party’s Education and Training Institute—who is embroiled in a second-victimization controversy over sexual harassment—was confirmed to have made derogatory remarks about opposition voters and regional residents in a recent lecture. In a book talk format, he referred to supporters of the opposition party as “No. 2 voters,” suggesting they avoid thinking and cannot weigh right and wrong.
On September 4, political circles confirmed that Choi held a book talk for his work “Beneficial Conservatism, Righteous Progressivism” on August 30 in Naju, Jeollanam-do.
There, he said: “Lately people use the term ‘No. 2 voters’,” adding, “It’s used as a pejorative, ‘they voted #2,’ so why complain or jump down on them for it?”
(“No. 2 voters” refers to supporters of the People Power Party, the main opposition. Former DP head Lee Jae-myung once used the term in a 2024 campaign and later apologized.)
Choi continued: “When I go to Gyeongsang or the southeast, the atmosphere is intense. In Daegu and Gyeongbuk, or even Busan, Democratic Party citizens live like independence fighters. Every day is too painful—it’s maddening.”
He then mocked why people supported Park Geun-hye: “Because ‘she’s pretty.’ Or Yoon Suk-yeol—people say, ‘he speaks well, drinks well—real men are like that.’ In Naju, people can’t say that; they’d be called fools. But in Yeongnam, these people are the mainstream.”
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