Cold Response from Ruling Party to Proposal to Embrace Non-Establishment Factions
Yoo Seung-min "Why Involve Me?"
Hong Joon-pyo, the mayor of Daegu who received a severe 10-month suspension of party membership rights from the People Power Party's Ethics Committee for his "flood golf" incident, is once again causing controversy with posts he made on social networking services (SNS) over the weekend.
Mayor Hong said, "Will the general election be okay if even I am thrown out?" urging to embrace the non-Yoon factions such as former leader Lee Jun-seok and former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min, but the response within the party has been cold. Even Yoo, the person involved, expressed displeasure, asking not to be dragged into it.
On the 31st, on KBS's "Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs," Yoo commented on Mayor Hong's remarks, saying, "If he really did something wrong, I think it would be right for him to 'keep his mouth shut.' Why drag me into this? The credibility of our politicians comes from consistency, but his words are too inconsistent," he pointed out.
Mayor Hong, who was severely disciplined for flood golf, raised his voice on SNS on the 30th, saying, "I regret being treated like a petty criminal," and "A lion never dies even if torn apart by a pack of hyenas." This was essentially a statement targeting the party leadership and the Ethics Committee.
He continued, "Will the general election be okay even after throwing me out? I survived until the general election, so embrace Lee Jun-seok and Yoo Seung-min as well. The support base is already weak," implying that the Ethics Committee's punishment was tantamount to ousting him before the general election. Mayor Hong deleted the SNS post after it sparked controversy.
However, even Yoo Seung-min, whom he mentioned to "embrace," seems to be drawing a line. Yoo criticized, "The mayor of Daegu should have kept his mouth shut and reflected on how wrong it was to play golf during the flood, but instead, he did such things and expected me to be intimidated and apologize, then backed down after a few days," adding, "When the Ethics Committee discussions began, he suddenly participated in flood volunteer work, even though he usually did not."
The party's internal view is also chilly. Kim Byung-min, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, said on YTN's "News & Issue" that "He tells everyone to embrace all factions, but not long ago, when the issue with Supreme Council member Kim Jae-won arose, it was Mayor Hong who said 'Kim should be the first to be removed.' There may be a lack of consistency between his past words and current actions, which makes me realize how difficult it is to handle the power of SNS," indirectly criticizing him.
Conservative figure Cho Won-jin, leader of the Our Republican Party, also pointed out on YTN's "News King with Park Ji-hoon," "Isn't Mayor Hong a political leader? If he plans to run for president, he should at least have dignity and character. He cannot keep his mouth shut," he criticized. He added, "He calls himself a 'lion' and all other politicians 'hyenas,' which is the most insulting remark. Since the People Power Party has to reopen the Ethics Committee, he deletes everything out of fear. He wants to speak but cannot take back what he says afterward," he criticized.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
