Daegu Mayor Hong Jun-pyo met with Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, on the first anniversary of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration and unleashed criticism of both the party and the presidential office. This has caused discomfort within the ruling party. On the other hand, the opposition views it positively as a "differentiation from President Yoon Suk-yeol." Mayor Hong raised his voice against the criticism within his party, saying, "Shouldn't I also meet Leader Lee?"
On the 10th, on social media (SNS), Mayor Hong said, "The president oversees judicial procedures, so he cannot meet the opposition leader who has been indicted for serious crimes, but shouldn't I at least offer kind words and warmly welcome the opposition leader who came to see me? Would it be right to drive away the opposition leader even from me?"
On the day of President Yoon's first anniversary in office, Mayor Hong met with Leader Lee, who visited Daegu, and criticized the presidential office by saying, "There are people in the presidential office who do not understand politics," and also directly attacked Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, calling him "petty." In response, Yoo Sang-beom, senior spokesperson for the People Power Party, told Yonhap News the day before, "I hope the public thinks about how they will view a senior party member attacking the party leader and the presidential office at a meeting with the opposition leader."
However, Mayor Hong stated, "Now that politics is missing, shouldn't I at least look for ways to restore politics?" He made it clear that he would not back down, saying, "I am the presidential candidate who revived the party and served twice as party leader. The party leader who belittled me as just the mayor of Daegu because I criticized him?if he is not petty, then who is?"
Opinions are divided on Mayor Hong's attitude. Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the People Power Party, said on KBS's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs,' "Sometimes Mayor Hong is very smart, so smart that it’s admirable, but other times he is quite lacking. His judgment is considerably poor," adding, "Because he has been in politics for so long, his discernment has greatly diminished."
He said that while Mayor Hong’s remarks might be acceptable on radio or other media, they were inappropriate to say in front of Leader Lee. He added, "I also criticize the presidential office and party leadership, but Leader Lee is almost hostile to the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. It was not the right time to bring up such things in front of him," and "Even the same words must change depending on the time and place, and that is politics. Criticizing the party and presidential office in front of an opposition leader who is hostile to the president is inappropriate."
On the other hand, Park Jie-won, director of the National Intelligence Service, said on CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' that "President Yoon has not met the opposition even once during his first year in office, but I still meet them. How much has Mayor Hong differentiated himself from President Yoon?" He highly praised Mayor Hong, saying, "He is indeed a great politician and a truly decent person."
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