Hong Jun-pyo: "Ha Tae-gyeong Was Not a Recruitment Target"... Ha Tae-gyeong: "Have You Forgotten Your Own Words Saying 'I Would Even Take Jang Je-won'?"

Hong Jun-pyo Camp "Not Recruiting Jusa-pa Members" Directly Denies Recruitment Rumors
Ha Tae-gyeong "Jusa-pa Is a Story from 30 Years Ago... Hong Jun-pyo Has Publicly Expressed Recruitment Intentions"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] A heated debate broke out over whether Rep. Ha Tae-kyung, who joined former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's campaign as the election countermeasures committee chairman, received a recruitment offer from Rep. Hong Joon-pyo's People Power Party campaign. After Hong's campaign denied making such an offer, Rep. Ha rebutted the claim.

On the 28th, Yeomyeong, spokesperson for Hong's campaign, stated, "We are clarifying the campaign's position regarding Rep. Ha's remark that 'I received a public courtship from Hong Joon-pyo's campaign but joined Yoon Seok-yeol's campaign,'" adding, "Hong's campaign has never made a recruitment offer to Rep. Ha."

Furthermore, the spokesperson said, "Our campaign clarifies that politicians from the Joo-sa-pa faction are not candidates for recruitment," emphasizing that Rep. Ha was never eligible for recruitment from the start.

Earlier, after a press conference held at the National Assembly Communication Office, Rep. Ha met with reporters and said, "If I join former Prosecutor General Yoon's campaign, it is old-fashioned, but Hong told me to join his campaign, so why is that considered reformist politics?" He argued, "It is contradictory to criticize as an old force while inviting me to join your own campaign." He pointed out, "The reason many lawmakers choose to join Yoon's campaign instead of Hong's is due to the difference in inclusiveness between the candidate and the campaign."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In response to Hong's campaign's rebuttal, Rep. Ha posted a counterargument on social media. First, he expressed dissatisfaction at being labeled as part of the Joo-sa-pa faction, a group that embraces Kim Il-sung's Juche ideology as the guiding revolutionary thought. Rep. Ha said, "It has been thirty years since I broke away from the Joo-sa-pa," adding, "Over three decades, I have devoted myself to North Korean human rights activism and fiercely fought against the Joo-sa-pa Tongjin Party, and the whole world knows these facts."

He also cited Hong's public statements about embracing Rep. Ha. Rep. Ha said, "After the first debate of the round of eight primaries, when my criticism of the 'Cho Guk Su Hong' controversy arose, Hong said, 'I will also embrace Ha Tae-kyung,' and on the 23rd, on Hong-Cola, he said he would accept both Rep. Jang Je-won and me," adding, "After making such a public courtship, does he forget even the words he himself said when I supported former Prosecutor General Yoon?"

Rep. Ha said, "As I stated on broadcast, I have no personal feelings against Rep. Hong," and added, "I will firmly oppose old-fashioned politics that block our party's future and political innovation, as well as politics based on lies."