Hong Junpyo: "President Yoon Must Personally Propose a Plan to Normalize the Country"

"If Only They Had Discussed It a Month Ago," Lament
"Present an Orderly Resignation Plan"
"Leaving the Resolution to the Party Leader Is a Farce"

Hong Junpyo, Mayor of Daegu Metropolitan City, has called on President Yoon Suk-yeol to personally present a solution to the series of events that have unfolded since the declaration of martial law.

On December 9, Mayor Hong wrote on his social media account, "If, a month ago, when I issued a public warning, the urgency of the situation had been recognized and a plan to stabilize the situation had been discussed with the opposition party, things would not have become this dire." He continued, "Even now, present an orderly resignation plan and find a way to normalize the country. That plan must come directly from the President, not the party," he emphasized.

Hong Junpyo, Mayor of Daegu Metropolitan City. Photo by Yoon Dongju

He went on to say, "The party leader cannot escape responsibility for this crisis either, but leaving the resolution of the situation to him is nothing short of turning politics into a farce." He added, "There is a saying: 'He who ties the knot must untie it.' Yet, it is truly disgraceful to see the prosecution, police, and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials pouncing on the situation like hyenas fighting over prey."

Earlier that morning, Mayor Hong also posted on social media, "President Yoon personally fostered prosecutors, made a dramatic appointment of someone unfit to be Minister of Justice, and even appointed a complete novice as the emergency committee chair. Now that this novice has betrayed him and turned against him, the President must feel deeply betrayed." He referred to Han Donghoon, leader of the People Power Party, as a "novice" and a "kid." He added, "The President said he would delegate his future to the party, but when did he ever say he would delegate it to a kid? That kid, without any constitutional basis, is excluding the President from his duties and is acting as if he himself were the President. President Yoon must be beside himself with frustration, but that's politics. He brought this upon himself."

He further criticized, "Isn't it because a rookie President and a rookie party leader have been at odds that things have come to this point? How can a party leader have the authority to exclude a President, elected by the people, from his duties?" He added, "The people of South Korea never entrusted you with the running of the country. Now that it has come to the point of impeachment, of course the party leader must also take responsibility and step down."

Meanwhile, Mayor Hong has continued to voice criticism of the ruling party following the failure to pass the impeachment bill against President Yoon. He has called for the resignation of the party leader who reversed his stance on impeachment, and has compared the current situation to the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye, arguing in favor of President Yoon's impeachment.