"How about Wooden Plaques Instead of Difficult-to-Dispose Crystals?"... Hong Seong-guk's Unique Proposal

Hong Seong-guk, Democratic Party Lawmaker, Proposes
"I Worry Every Time I Move"

Hong Seong-guk, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, proposed unifying the material of 'merit plaques' given to members of the National Assembly to wood. The wooden plaques are intended to be easier to incinerate later and less costly to produce.

On the 29th, Hong wrote on his Facebook, "Preparing to move again, I am once again troubled by commemorative plaques," adding, "I disposed of many plaques during my previous two moves, but after receiving (plaques) for another four years..." He continued, "The Speaker of the National Assembly's plaque is very nice. It is made of 100% wood, so it would be good to incinerate someday," and shared a photo of the Speaker's appreciation plaque he apparently received on the 26th.

Wooden plaque of appreciation (left) and crystal plaque received by Hong Seong-guk, member of the Democratic Party of Korea [Image source=Facebook capture]

The appreciation plaque is made of wood and was awarded for contributions to legislative activities at the National Assembly Research Service. Hong added, "The wooden commemorative plaque I received from the Korea Forest Service was turned into life energy through two pork belly meals after 10 years had passed."

On the other hand, he said, "I have kept the crystal plaque with my face on it for a long time because I could not bring myself to throw it away. It must be very expensive," but added, "The price difference of commemorative plaques will not diminish their meaning."

He also said, "When I met retired generals last time, they said the most difficult thing upon discharge was dealing with hundreds of commemorative plaques," and added, "I will no longer receive commemorative plaques, but if I do, I would like to receive one made of 100% wood."

Meanwhile, Hong, a first-term lawmaker from the Democratic Party, announced last year that he would not run in the 22nd general election. Having worked in the financial industry for 30 years, he was strategically nominated by the Democratic Party as an economic expert. However, ahead of the general election in December last year, he admitted, "Due to the limitations of the current backward political structure, I was unable to achieve results," and expressed his intention, saying, "After long consideration, I plan to return as a futurist researcher who directly communicates with the people and creates a vision for the future."