"At a Critical Juncture Domestically and Internationally... Proceeding with Caution"
"Will Examine Trump Administration's Policy Toward South Korea"
"Reviewing Possible Actions in Place of the Government Amid Vacancy"
Hong Joon-pyo, Mayor of Daegu Metropolitan City, has announced a planned visit to Washington in connection with the inauguration of the second term of the Donald Trump administration in the United States.
On the 14th, Mayor Hong stated through his social media (SNS) account that he is "coordinating the schedule for the Washington visit." He explained, "This will be my first visit in eight years since October 2017, when I visited Washington as the opposition party leader regarding the redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons," adding, "Given the serious domestic and international situation, I am discussing the schedule with even greater caution."
He continued, "I will look into the atmosphere regarding the Trump administration's policy toward South Korea and review what we can do now on behalf of the government, which is currently in a state of vacancy."
Earlier, on the 7th, Mayor Hong met with Paul Manafort, former campaign chairman of Donald Trump's presidential campaign, who visited South Korea privately. During the meeting, they discussed the U.S.-South Korea relationship and security issues under the second Trump administration, emphasizing topics such as nuclear armament of the Korean Peninsula and the theory of nuclear balance between North and South Korea. It is reported that Manafort invited Mayor Hong to Trump's inauguration ceremony, parade, and dinner events.
Meanwhile, Mayor Hong maintains the position that if the arrest warrant request against President Yoon Seok-yeol on charges of rebellion is not lawful, the investigation should be nullified. On the 12th, through SNS, he claimed, "If the arrest warrant for President Yoon, raised by some quarters, was dismissed by the Central District Court or received an invalid rejection not stipulated by law, and was re-requested to a specific judge belonging to the Seoul Western District Court's Legal Research Association, resulting in the issuance of a warrant through judge-made law not provided by statute, then not only the head of the Corruption Investigation Office and the judge but also the head of the National Police Agency, suspected of collusion with the Democratic Party, have committed serious crimes."
He also warned, "The guilt of the senior official of the Court Administration Office, who avoided answering questions from lawmakers on the grounds that an investigation is ongoing, cannot escape suspicion of being an accomplice." He added, "If even the judiciary has violated such due process, then the legitimacy of the ongoing investigation into the charge of rebellion is lost, and all must be nullified," further stating, "Truly absurd incidents are occurring one after another. A country controlled by criminals is a lawless country that one would expect to find only in Africa. It is truly regrettable that my country is treated the same as such a country."
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