Hong Jun-pyo, after watching the National Assembly audit: "Factional conflicts rampant... Era of livelihood disappearance"

Ruling and Opposition Parties Clash Over 'Kim Geon-hee Judicial Risk' at Audit Hearing
"A Strange Country Where Presidential Family Matters Become National Affairs"

Hong Joon-pyo, Mayor of Daegu. / Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

Hong Joon-pyo, the mayor of Daegu, criticized the ruling and opposition parties for only clashing during the National Assembly audit, saying, "The National Assembly audit has become an era where national affairs are nowhere to be found, and only factional battles run rampant, resulting in a disappearance of public livelihood."

On the 8th, Mayor Hong said on his Facebook, "The harm caused by left-right factional logic has reached its peak, and our country has become the number one in the world for conflict politics."

He also pointedly remarked, "Our country has become a strange place where the president's family matters are not just gossip but national affairs." This appears to be a comment targeting the extreme confrontations between the ruling and opposition parties over the judicial risks and various suspicions surrounding Kim Keon-hee, the wife of President Yoon Seok-yeol, which began at the National Assembly audit the day before.

He continued, "This is a time when leadership that knows how to accept criticism is needed, but instead, we have entered an era where only appearances are pursued and image politics run rampant," adding, "It has become an era of fandom politics where as long as there is a group blindly following, even shallow acts are chosen."

In political circles, this criticism from Mayor Hong is interpreted as a shot at Han Dong-hoon, the leader of the People Power Party, who recently held a dinner meeting with 'pro-faction' lawmakers. Mayor Hong also criticized 'factional politics' the day before, pointing out, "The harm caused by left-right factional logic has reached its peak, and our country has become the number one in the world for conflict politics."

A post Mayor Hong uploaded on his Facebook on the 8th. [Photo by Facebook capture]