Woori Bank PR Head Visits Opposition Office Wearing 'Lee Jae-myung Face Watch,' Sparking Controversy

He criticized the policy by asking why the government fixates on 1 trillion won when it stands to gain an additional 50 trillion won in tax revenue.

He argued that with no runoff election, there is no easy way for Song to back Kim Min-seok, and that the foreign minister deal reportedly discussed over a meal before Lee's trip to Europe is likely to fall through. In that light, Song, whose own approval is not high, is trying to stand out by taking swipes at the Lee government.

Park explained that Song's remarks appear to be, in effect, a criticism of the Lee government's incompetence.

Commentator Park Sang-gyu analyzed that candidates such as Song Young-gil and Kim Min-seok are criticizing the Lee government's real estate policy for their own political calculations. By saying the policy is wrong, they aim to raise their profile and create the impression that they are speaking their minds. Park added that Kim Min-seok, apparently deciding not to simply shield Lee, is attacking not only the real estate policy but also the leveraged ETF issue, criticizing Lee's policies.

Commentator Park Sang-gyu compared the two analyses to losing muscle (core defection) versus losing fat (middle-ground defection), explaining that they offer conflicting diagnoses of the drop in support.

Commentator Park Sang-gyu argued that, objectively, Chung-rae and Kim's analysis of core supporter defection is correct. Polling shows that voters in their 40s and 50s, once known as the Democratic Party's 'iron rice bowl supporters' with support above 60%, have fallen to roughly a 50-50 split, a drop of about 15 points. Defection among those in their 40s is especially severe, which Park described as muscle loss, or core defection. He therefore said that Yoo Si-min's analysis, identifying core defection, is correct, and that Song's claim, which he called a 'quack's prescription,' is wrong.

Commentator Park Sang-gyu flatly declared, "What solution could there be? They have to withdraw. They have to back down," stressing that the current real estate policy must be scrapped.

Commentator Park Sang-gyu criticized the revised real estate tax system by citing an anecdote in which Lee Jae-myung reportedly told Finance Ministry Vice Minister Koo Yun-cheol, "Minister, crawl around." He said that people are not earthworms, so why would anyone be told to crawl, mocking both Lee's remark and the current tax policy.

He stressed that even if the 'abuse' remark made by former minister Hwang Hee, which was later retracted, has been withdrawn, it does not erase the bruises and severe internal bleeding already inflicted on young people.

He added that the Democratic Party should consider itself fortunate in that regard, suggesting that the current policy direction will have a strongly negative effect on the elections. This reflects the serious discontent the government's real estate policy is stirring among voters.

Commentator Park Sang-gyu said former President Trump's position is very awkward. According to a New York Times report, Iran reportedly prepared shoulder-fired missiles in an attempt to assassinate Trump and targeted Air Force One. Park also noted that the outlook for the November midterm elections is very bleak. Under these compounding circumstances, he analyzed that immigration and protecting American companies are the only areas where Trump can win votes.

He cited the Fair Trade Commission as a prime example, noting that a US House Judiciary Committee report named the FTC in connection with the Coupang issue. He added that Ambassador Michelle Steel was also involved and that the US will not let unfair practices by American companies go unaddressed.

Commentator Park Sang-gyu analyzed that, in looking for targets, the Trump administration appears to have settled on South Korea's Lee Jae-myung government regulators. He said the regulators are being criticized for discriminating against the United States, their top ally and blood brother, and even treating it as an enemy. Park warned that this is very serious, noting that US foreign policy outlets may conclude that South Korea sees the United States, not North Korea, as its main enemy.

What draws attention is that this was not an ordinary politician's signed watch, but a digital watch clearly engraved with Lee's face.

The host explained that during his time as a political reporter he received several presidential watches, including one from DJ, but that ordinary watches simply carry a politician's signature. The watch worn by the Woori Bank PR head, however, went beyond a signature, bearing Lee's face directly, and the host said this made it a different matter altogether. It is open to interpretation as an excessive display of support for a specific individual rather than a simple souvenir.

He said this was possible only because the PR head deliberately downloaded the photo and set it as his phone wallpaper, calling it a display meant to say, "I wear President Lee's watch." He argued that the conduct went beyond mere impropriety.

Commentator Park Sang-gyu said wearing the watch was an inappropriate act that went beyond personal taste. He interpreted it as an attempt to intimidate and pressure the lawmakers who saw it, and as an effort to lobby them by implying, "I am someone who wears the president's watch, and this watch was given to me by the Blue House." In other words, he analyzed it as conveying the message, "I have the Blue House behind me."

With his identity now public, interest in the case is expected to grow further.

Woori Bank is reportedly the bank that spends the most on promotional budgets targeting media outlets among commercial banks. For this reason, the media world sometimes calls Woori Bank the 'super patron.' This background magnifies the influence and ripple effect of the PR head's conduct in this controversy.

Commentator Park Sang-gyu explained that because Woori Bank spends the largest amount on advertising, the PR head is effectively the 'super patron of advertising.' As a result, media outlets widely believe they must curry favor with the PR head to win advertising, and he is regarded in the media world as an absolute figure akin to a 'Grand Duke.' Combined with the 'Lee watch' controversy, this has led to criticism that the PR head's conduct may carry political intent beyond an individual's misconduct.