Hong Jun-pyo "Han Dong-hoon Betrays Yoon" vs Han Dong-hoon "The Only Ones Who Should Not Betray Are the People"

Handonghun "Correcting mistakes is not betrayal but courage"
"I will take time to study" implying intention to return

Daegu Mayor Hong Jun-pyo criticized former committee member Han Dong-hoon for several days, saying, “Han Dong-hoon was a political prosecutor who made us taste hell, and President Yoon Seok-yeol also betrayed us.” In response, former committee member Han said, “The only ones politicians should not betray are the people.” This is the first statement he has made since resigning from the position of emergency committee chairman the day after the April 10 general election.

Hong Joon-pyo, Mayor of Daegu, Han Dong-hoon, former Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party

On the 20th, on the online communication platform ‘Cheongnyeon-ui Kkum’ (Youth’s Dream) operated by Mayor Hong, a post under the nickname ‘Donghoon-i hyung’ said, “There seems to be no law that Han Dong-hoon, who has overwhelming support from 45% of party members, should not take on the role of the next party leader.” The post evaluated Han Dong-hoon (former) committee member as “the hope of Korea who will greatly help the People Power Party’s regime re-creation” and said, “If Han Dong-hoon is given one more chance, I firmly believe that the People Power Party will achieve a landslide victory in the local elections and the next presidential election.” It also said, “Most people do not think the cause of the general election defeat was solely Han Dong-hoon’s fault. Please do not hate Han Dong-hoon, who, as a political novice, did his best and worked hard, too harshly.”

However, Mayor Hong Jun-pyo left a comment saying, “We suffered a historic defeat because of Han Dong-hoon’s mistakes.” He sharply criticized, “Han Dong-hoon treated the general election as a preliminary round for playing presidential politics,” and said, “The conservative right wing was ruined by blindly following such a harsh and senseless act.” Regarding approval ratings, he said, “Current approval ratings mean nothing. In the 2022 August presidential candidate primary, I had 4%, and candidate Yoon (at the time) had 40%, but two and a half months later, I had 48%, and Yoon had 37%. Korean politics changes instantly depending on the campaign.”

On the same day, former People Power Party emergency committee member Han Dong-hoon posted on Facebook, stating, “Efforts to correct mistakes are not betrayal but courage,” and “The only ones politicians should not betray are the people.” This is interpreted as a direct rebuttal to Mayor Hong’s criticism. He also promised, “No matter what happens, I will not betray the people.” Regarding the election results, he said, “It is my defeat, not yours. I owe you all. I am sorry,” and added, “I will take time to study and reflect to become more sophisticated.” This is seen as leaving the door open for a political comeback. He concluded his post by saying, “Ten days have passed. You may be disappointed and discouraged, and the path may seem unclear and frustrating, but let’s stay strong together. In the end, things will get better.”