"Han Dong-hoon Not 180cm Tall" Rebuttal
"Not About Appearance but Character" Refusal to Apologize
Jo Guk, leader of the Jo Guk Innovation Party, who sparked controversy by making remarks that seemed to belittle Han Dong-hoon, leader of the People Power Party, defended himself by saying, "It meant that his behavior as a politician was superficial." On the 10th, Jo appeared on the YouTube channel 'Kim Eo-jun's Humility is Difficult News Factory' and addressed the controversial remarks, saying, "(About a person) is the word 'superficial' wrong?" and added, "Han's behavior as a politician is not substantial but superficial."
Cho Kuk, leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, is rehearsing his speech as a representative of a non-negotiating group at the National Assembly plenary session hall on the 9th. [Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@]
He then said, "Kim Eo-jun mentioned that Han's height is 180 cm, and I said, 'I don't think 180 cm is accurate,'" adding, "I am about 181 cm tall, so I said I don't think he is taller than me. How is that an appearance critique?" He continued, "What does it matter if someone is tall or short?" and said, "Former President Roh Moo-hyun was shorter than me, but how great a person he was. No one talks about former President Roh's height." Host Kim Eo-jun also supported this by saying, "Jo did not comment on appearance. He just asked about the height," and added, "Among those, the objective figure of 180 cm is probably not correct, and he said (his behavior) was superficial."
Furthermore, "It was even more peculiar that the article was released to coincide with the speech time of the representatives of the non-negotiating groups in the National Assembly," and added, "Anyway, I don't really care much." Regarding the controversy, Lee Gyu-won, spokesperson for the Jo Guk Innovation Party, also stated in a comment, "Jo's remark that 'the person is somewhat superficial' is an impression about character if you want to be precise," and added, "He never belittled appearance or insulted character, so there is no reason to apologize."
Earlier, on the 6th, Jo appeared on Kim Eo-jun's YouTube channel 'Kim Eo-jun's Dasbwoida' and, when asked about his impression of meeting Han, said, "It's a bit difficult to give a detailed comment, but my one-word feeling is that the person is somewhat superficial." In the same broadcast, Jin Sung-jun, policy chief of the Democratic Party of Korea, also made remarks such as "It seems Han was wearing height-increasing shoes," "It's the first time I saw his face, and it felt like seeing an alien," and "It felt awkward and somewhat creepy," which caused controversy.
Shin Ju-ho, full-time deputy spokesperson of the People Power Party, criticized in a statement the day before, saying, "Continuing to mock and ridicule the appearance of the opposing party leader shows a lowly true nature that lacks even the minimum courtesy," and urged, "Apologize sincerely to Leader Han and the public for the low-level disparaging remarks." As the controversy spread, Jin Sung-jun, policy chief, said that morning, "Although it was merely a very personal impression, if the excessive expression caused discomfort, I sincerely apologize."
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