Criticism of 'Joguk Suhong'... Hong Joon-pyo: "Those who split the party, our party has many Lee Jung-hee"

Hong "If Cho Kuk had taken responsibility, my family wouldn't have suffered"

People Power Party presidential candidate Hong Joon-pyo.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Hong Joon-pyo, a presidential candidate from the People Power Party, criticized other party presidential candidates who condemned his remarks on the 'excessive investigation of Cho Kuk,' saying, "There are so many Lee Jung-hee's now."

Earlier, on the 16th, during the first broadcast debate of the People Power Party presidential primary candidates, Hong said, "The prosecution conducted an excessive investigation into the Cho Kuk family. If Cho Kuk had acted like a man and said, 'I will take full responsibility,' his family wouldn't have had to suffer," drawing criticism from other party presidential candidates.

Former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min wrote on his Facebook, "Because of the illegal acts, privileges, unfairness, and hypocrisy of the Cho Kuk family, the entire nation, especially the youth, fell into anger and despair, yet to call it an excessive investigation is baffling," and pointed out, "The whole family are lawbreakers, so the idea that 'only one crime per household should be punished'?no matter how much I think about it, I can't understand the basis for that."

Lawmaker Ha Tae-kyung also criticized Hong on YTN Radio, saying, "When I heard that there was a problem with the Cho Kuk investigation, my heart trembled," and added, "Hong abandoned even the value of fairness to attack his competitor (former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl). He should kneel and apologize to the people for his response."

On December 4, 2012, during the presidential candidate TV debate, Tongjin Party candidate Lee Jeong-hee is seen attacking Saenuri Party candidate Park Geun-hye. Photo by KBS

In response, on the 17th, after visiting Nammyung Dormitory in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Hong told reporters, "At yesterday's debate, seeing those who split our party and made the impeachment election so difficult during the last presidential election attack me with the same tone, I thought, 'There are so many Lee Jung-hee's now.'"

This remark appears to be aimed at former lawmakers Yoo Seung-min and Ha Tae-kyung, who left the Saenuri Party and founded the Bareun Party during the 2017 presidential election.

Meanwhile, Lee Jung-hee, former leader of the Unified Progressive Party, ran as the Unified Progressive Party candidate in the 2012 presidential election, fiercely attacked then Saenuri Party candidate Park Geun-hye in TV debates, declared support for then Democratic United Party candidate Moon Jae-in, and subsequently withdrew from the race.