"Brazen as Lee Jae-myung"… Hong Joon-pyo Directly Targets Han Dong-hoon’s Party Leadership Bid

"Not Fooling the People or Party Members... Will Face Harsh Judgment"
Han Dong-hoon Announces Candidacy for Next People Power Party Leader on 23rd

Daegu Mayor Hong Jun-pyo strongly criticized former Emergency Response Committee member Han Dong-hoon, who is about to officially declare his candidacy for the next People Power Party leadership election, saying, "He is showing shamelessness comparable to Representative Lee Jae-myung, beyond being a political immature."

On the 21st, Mayor Hong began his post on his Facebook with the words, "When I say 'child,' I am not referring to age but to political immaturity." He continued, "Even though Representative Lee Jun-seok is younger, I do not use such expressions (towards him)." This means that although Representative Lee is younger than former Committee member Han, he would call Han a child but not Representative Lee.

[Image source=Captured from Hong Jun-pyo's Facebook]

Mayor Hong criticized, "They created a chaotic National Assembly and plunged the country into confusion, and even though they should be deeply apologizing, the main culprits of the general election defeat are gathering again in less than two months, showing shamelessness beyond political immaturity and common sense comparable to Representative Lee Jae-myung." He added, "The people and party members are not fools. They will face harsh judgment and be expelled," and said, "I hope that the former amateur prosecutor who acted as Moon Jae-in's hunting dog will no longer manipulate our party." He concluded his post by saying, "Appointments are unavoidable, but elected positions are unacceptable."

Earlier, on the 16th, Mayor Hong also expressed discomfort by posting, "The main culprits who ruined the general election are gathering in groups of three or five, causing such a commotion; the party is becoming shameless and absurd." This post also appears to target former Committee member Han. In that Facebook post, Mayor Hong asked, "If we ruin the general election and the local elections, can we recreate the next regime? Isn't it just handing the country over to Lee Jae-myung?" He lamented, "They ruined the general election and created chaos in the National Assembly, and while the Yoon administration is struggling, the main culprits of the general election defeat are rampaging like that; the future of the conservative regime is truly bleak."

Handonghun, Nakyeongwon, Won Heeryong (from left) [Photo by Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, former Emergency Response Committee member Han Dong-hoon, Representative Na Kyung-won, and former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong will consecutively declare their candidacies for the next People Power Party leadership at the National Assembly Communication Hall on the 23rd. According to the schedules announced by each leadership candidate on the 21st, Representative Na will declare at 1 p.m., former Committee member Han at 2 p.m., and former Minister Won at 3 p.m. Another leadership candidate, Representative Yoon Sang-hyun, made the earliest declaration for the next leadership candidacy on the 21st at his political hometown, Yonghyeon Market in Incheon.