'Yoon = Sangnamja' Hong Joon-pyo says to Democrats, "Instead of Kim's heart, it's the people's heart that matters"

"Distorted Self-Politics That Failed to Read the People's Anger"

The Democratic Party of Korea on the 15th criticized Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo, who referred to President Yoon Seok-yeol as a "tough man" after carrying out a high-level prosecution personnel reshuffle ahead of the investigation into First Lady Kim Geon-hee, saying, "Trying to curry favor with Yoon's heart, or rather Kim's heart (referring to First Lady Kim Geon-hee), he ends up losing the public's trust."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Kang Yoo-jung, the Democratic Party's floor spokesperson, stated in a written briefing that "In a situation where public outrage is boiling over, Mayor Hong posted on his social media service (SNS) the absurd claim that 'Can a person who cannot even protect his own woman protect the lives and property of 50 million people?'"

Earlier, when criticism arose mainly from the opposition accusing the government's high-level prosecution appointments of being a "shielding measure for the investigation of First Lady Kim Geon-hee," Mayor Hong rebutted, saying, "If it were you, would you throw your own woman to a pack of hyenas just to keep her in place while the legality is still under investigation and unclear?"

In response, Spokesperson Kang said, "Mayor Hong's nonsensical remarks are nothing but distorted self-politics that fail to read the people's anger," emphasizing, "They only confirm the public's suspicion that the president is interfering in investigations and personnel matters to protect his own woman, which only fuels the anger."

He also raised his voice, saying, "Mayor Hong's words are inappropriate for the president, who holds the greatest power in the Republic of Korea," and added, "For the president to ignore equality before the law and become a 'Joseon-era lover' shielding his wife is nothing but the privatization of power."

Spokesperson Kang emphasized, "A president who is obsessed only with protecting his wife, his own woman, is not a tough man but rather a 'weak man' or a 'henchman,'" and "A president who is desperate to hide his wife's criminal allegations, and the ruling party that praises such a president as a tough man, only shows that a special prosecutor is the only answer."