Chung Mong-joon, current member of the National Assembly and owner of a $1.9 billion stake in Hyundai, tweeted photos of himself cleaning bathrooms on March 3rd. Chung is currently campaigning to become mayor of Seoul, one of the most important political offices in the country, and has been engaging in the time-honored tradition of ‘man of the people’ photo ops. Thousands of netizens commented on the pictures, most of them assuming it was the first time the billionaire had ever washed a bathroom and criticizing it as a publicity stunt.
It wasn’t the first time Korean politicians on the campaign trail have gotten criticism for trying to get photos of themselves looking good. During the 2011 campaign for Seoul mayor, press photographed candidate Na Kyung-won at an event in a home for disabled children where she washed a naked 12-year-old child.
Article from Newsis:
Candidate Chung Mong-joon Cleans the Bathrooms
Candidate for mayor of Seoul, Chung Mong-joon, cleans student bathrooms in Yeondeungpo’s Yangpyeong-dong Seon-yoo Middle School on April 3rd.
Comments from Daum:
god임다:
Don’t clean a spotless one. Why are you scrubbing a bathroom that is already ten times cleaner than what cleaning ladies have to deal with normally?
새우깡:
hahaha. That’s probably the first and last time he does that. Very nice… What does it mean to have power…
기다림:
So they’re putting on a show, eh… Tomorrow they are going to upload a picture of him walking around some outdoor market
에프삼:
With the time you spent putting on that cleaning show try buying a meal for the old woman who is getting exploited doing that work for minimum wage every other day of the year.
In another official campaign photo, Chung volunteers in the school cafeteria of the Namseong Elementary School
버리고떠나기:
Does anyone really feel like this was genuine?
wmrtlcnfehd:
This isn’t how he has been living his life, this is just something he does once for publicity.
투표하자:
rewrite that headline: For the First Time in His Life Candidate Chung Mong-joon Cleans the Bathrooms
dmbqwp:
Will this performance be effective? Tut tut This looks like the kind of picture that only comes out during campaign season
sheva:
Ah yes, the ‘common citizen cosplay‘ we see every election season… ke ke ke ke ke ke ke ke ke ke ke ke ke ke ke ke ke ke ke ke ke ke ke ke
빼꼼:
What bs, these bastards… Some asshole who has never worked hard in his life puts on a show when elections come around..what a real miserable bastard
김태현:
I knew what all of the comments would be as soon as I saw this photo
페이퍼:
I’m speechless
네이팜데쓰:
근조민주주의:
Scrub my shit and I’ll give you 70 won for bus fare…[this comment references a famous incident in June of 2008 when Chung claimed the bus fare in Seoul was 70 won (approx. $0.07, vs. the real fare: 1000 won, approx $1) Commentary at the time said it showed how out of touch Chung was with the common person]
bravo0328:
Must be the first time he’s ever done this,,,,,
늘행복하세요:
this is the worst
아로:
Doesn’t this bring to mind a certain woman who put on a show for the reporters by washing a handicapped child??
During the 2011 mayoral election in Seoul, candidate Na Kyung-won caused an incident when she held a photo event at a home for disabled children where she publicly washed a naked 12-year-old.
대마왕:
Let’s postpone the election for three years!!! So they can clean every school bathroom in Seoul, ke.
