Controversy Over 'Dwaeji Baljeongje' Met With Strong Response From Hong Jun-pyo: "Won't Let It Go This Time"

Determined Not to Create Controversy in This Presidential Election
"Will File Defamation Charges and Enforce Strict Punishment"

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Hong Jun-pyo, a presidential candidate from the People Power Party, announced on the 11th that he will respond directly to the controversy over the "pig aphrodisiac." In this presidential election, he intends to punish those who falsely accused him of being a sexual assailant with exemplary punishment.

On the same day, Hong said on social media (SNS), "The episode that happened at a boarding house when I was a first-year university student over 50 years ago, which I wrote about in my autobiography in 2006, was not something I did nor conspired to do, but rather a story about S University boarding house residents who were there together and failed to stop what they did among themselves, which I wrote with the intention of admitting their fault." He added, "During the last impeachment presidential election, there was an incident where Druking was mobilized to falsely accuse me of being a sexual assailant, and presidential candidates joined in attacking me as a sexual assailant without even reading that book."

He said, "The leftists have been attacking me by twisting that into the 'pig aphrodisiac' all this time, and now a spokesperson from Lee Jae-myung’s side has again accused me of being a confessed sexual assailant," adding, "I can no longer tolerate or endure this."

He continued, "To eradicate such behavior, I will file a complaint for violating election laws by spreading false information and defamation, and I will hold them strictly accountable so that this time their parliamentary seat will be revoked with exemplary punishment." He warned, "If false information is spread with the intent to cause defeat, it legally results in guilt and the parliamentary seat will be automatically revoked. This time, I will not let it slide."

The person Hong referred to appears to be Jeon Yong-gi, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea. Earlier, at a press conference held by the Daegu City Party, Hong targeted Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate and Governor of Gyeonggi Province, saying, "If Lee plays the double curse words about his sister-in-law for three days after the election officially starts, the election is just over." In response, Jeon, who serves as a spokesperson for Lee, criticized Hong for cursing his family in the past, to which Jeon retorted, "A confessed sexual assailant has no right to speak."

Hong’s strong warning to respond to this issue this time seems to carry a meaning beyond simply expressing his intention to punish Jeon. Hong strongly expressed his determination to prevent the "pig aphrodisiac" controversy, which was mentioned in his autobiography during the last presidential election, from recurring in this election.