Hong Jun-pyo "Party Name Change is an Appropriate Decision... Mitong is an Abbreviation of 'Mikyultongsan'"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Former Liberty Korea Party leader Hong Joon-pyo expressed support for the name change of the United Future Party, calling it an "appropriate decision."

On the 23rd, Hong said on Facebook, "When it was first announced that our party's name would be the United Future Party, I questioned why it had to be called that," expressing his opinion.

This follows United Future Party Emergency Committee Chairman Kim Jong-in's statement at a press luncheon on the 22nd that "the party name will be changed soon."

Hong pointed out, "The abbreviation 'Mitong' (for United Future Party) is a legal term for 'Mikyultongsan' (未決通算), which is used in criminal rulings to indicate the number of days counted as pretrial detention," adding, "It is a system where the days served as a detainee before trial are counted toward the main sentence."

He continued, "The name 'Mitongdang' could give the mistaken impression that we are all defendants under detention. I was puzzled as to why the party leader, who is a former prosecutor, and our party's legal experts agreed to such a name," emphasizing, "Although it might have been a hectic time before the election, it is truly fortunate that the party name is being changed now, even if belatedly."