Hong Jun-pyo "The Only President Who Had a Happy Retirement Was DJ... What About Moon Jae-in, Who Is About to Step Down?"

Independent lawmaker Hong Jun-pyo is delivering a greeting at the "Towards a Better World (Mapo Forum)" seminar held on the afternoon of the 18th of last month at the Hyundai Building in Mapo-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] Independent lawmaker Hong Joon-pyo stated on the 16th, "Among all the presidents in history, only DJ (Kim Dae-jung) has enjoyed a happy retirement."

On the same day, Hong posted on his Facebook, saying, "The brutal history of South Korean presidents continues relentlessly."

He listed examples of past presidents, saying, "The first president, Syngman Rhee, resigned after the April 19 Revolution; President Yoon Bo-seon stepped down due to the May 16 coup; President Park Chung-hee was assassinated; and President Choi Kyu-hah was driven out by the new military regime."

He continued, "Presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo were even sentenced to death for military rebellion; YS (Kim Young-sam) faced hardships after stepping down due to the IMF crisis; President Roh Moo-hyun tragically took his own life; and Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye are currently imprisoned due to political retaliation by the Moon administration."

Hong added, "President Moon Jae-in is now approaching the end of his term," and questioned, "Is there any guarantee that such incidents will not happen in the next administration?"

He further said, "Do those who are working hard today to become the president of South Korea, who will face an unhappy end, believe that they alone will be the exception?"