Lee Hyuk-jae, a former comedian, has been named to the judging panel for the People Power Party's public \"Youth Audition\" to select proportional-representation candidates for metropolitan assembly seats, a decision that has drawn controversy.
He has previously faced criticism for large unpaid tax liabilities and for assaulting a bar employee, and he has recently claimed that former President Yoon Suk Yeol is innocent.
Speaking before the public audition at the party's Yeouido headquarters in Seoul on Tuesday (26), he said, \"I came here humbly, carrying both voices of concern and the public's expectations.\"
He added that he had experienced losing the honor he had built because of a single mistake, but stressed that he never avoided responsibility. \"As a citizen under the rule of law, I fulfilled my legal obligations, and as an entertainer who received the public's affection, I met my moral responsibilities,\" he said.
\"Anyone can fail,\" he continued. \"But not everyone can rise from that failure. The country I love, the Republic of Korea, must be a land of opportunity where young people who have made mistakes can get back on their feet.\"
Addressing young people directly, Lee said they may fail and they may make mistakes. \"I want to borrow the slogan of the global apparel brand Nike for today — Just Do It. I hope you demonstrate everything you're capable of here and now,\" he said.
Lee debuted as an MBC-recruited comedian but effectively left the entertainment industry after a January 2010 incident in which he assaulted a room salon employee (a type of private bar hostess).
The National Tax Service included his name on its 2024 list of major, habitual tax delinquents.
Recently, on his YouTube channel, he has maintained that former President Yoon Suk Yeol is \"innocent by my standards\" and has compared the riot at the Western District Court to a pro-democracy movement.
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Lee Jun-heum (humi@yna.co.kr)
