Hong Joon-pyo Targets Han Dong-hoon: "If the Seocho-dong Wreath Festival Is a Staged Act, It's a New Type of Public Opinion Manipulation"

"Is it Reform for a Political Novice to Start by Learning Public Opinion Manipulation?"

As the controversy over the party member bulletin board involving Han Dong-hoon, leader of the People Power Party, and his family intensifies, Hong Joon-pyo, mayor of Daegu, pointed out on the 28th, "Let's do politics with more confidence."

Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo is delivering a keynote speech on the theme of "Daegu City's New Industry Transition and ABB Scientific Administration" at the regular forum "Population, Climate, and Tomorrow" held on the morning of the 12th at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News.

On that day, Mayor Hong opened his remarks on his Facebook by saying, "There are really low-level debates over the post claiming it was Han Dong-hoon's family on the party member bulletin board." He added, "The essence of the situation boils down to whether they manipulated public opinion like Druking by mobilizing family members. Eventually, it was revealed that the flower wreath festival in Seocho-dong was also a staged act, and the same method was used in front of the National Assembly. If that is true, it is a truly low-level new type of public opinion manipulation."

Mayor Hong questioned, "Why did Kim Kyung-soo go to prison, and why did Druking go to prison?" He continued, "People who hold party positions are not protecting the party but are busy defending the party leader and his family. Is that a legitimate political party? How did such people come to dominate the party?"

Furthermore, he said, "Now they are even threatening with the Kim Gun-hee special prosecutor law. Is it reform to have a political novice learn the old bad habit of manipulating public opinion?" He added, "Their actions remind me of the incident of inducing a strike at the Korea Minting and Security Printing Corporation."

Yonhap News

Earlier, Jang Ye-chan, former youth supreme council member of the People Power Party, claimed the day before that Han Dong-hoon's wife, lawyer Jin Eun-jung, had led public opinion by sending flower baskets to Han's side while concealing her identity in a mom cafe in the past.

Former Supreme Council Member Jang said on his Facebook, "In 2017, the private mom cafe 'Gangnam Mom Cappuccino' led a campaign to send flower baskets to the special prosecutor team." He added, "But it turned out that lawyer Jin Eun-jung, spouse of special prosecutor Han Dong-hoon, created public opinion in the mom cafe to send flower baskets." He further stated, "Gangnam Mom Cappuccino members felt betrayed by the fact that lawyer Jin concealed her identity and manipulated public opinion, and eventually, she was expelled from the mom cafe."

He also claimed, "Surprisingly, the same method appears in the People Power Party member bulletin board incident. A fixed ID posting the same content as Han Dong-hoon's family was caught on DC Inside. That very ID led the flower basket sending campaign for Han Dong-hoon's campaign at the party convention."

Former Supreme Council Member Jang pointed out, "In terms of concealing identity and manipulating public opinion online, the Gangnam Mom Cappuccino and the People Power Party member bulletin board incidents appear to be the same person using the same method." He warned, "If Leader Han covers up his family's issues, no matter what he says from now on, he will be met with cynicism telling him to 'take care of your family first.'"