The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the opposition People Power Party (PPP) have each accused the other of exploiting the incident for political gain in duelling defamation lawsuits.
At the heart of the dispute is Lee’s appearance on JTBC’s popular show Please Take Care of My Refrigerator, alongside first lady Kim Hye-kyung, just days after a fire at a government data centre paralysed hundreds of essential digital services, including tax and postal systems.
It has only poured fuel on the country’s intensifying political feud
“It has only poured fuel on the country’s intensifying political feud, highlighting widening political fault lines,” said Jhee Byong-kuen, a professor of political science at South Korea’s Chosun University. “This political crisis shows no sign of abating.”
