Hong Jun-pyo on the 'Myeong Tae-gyun Special Prosecutor Act': "Lee Jae-myung will bear the harsh cost of false accusations"

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The Democratic Party of Korea has proposed the Myeong Taegyun Special Prosecutor Act, while Hong Joon-pyo, the mayor of Daegu, warned that there will be consequences for false accusations. On the 12th, Mayor Hong emphasized regarding the Democratic Party's proposal of the 'Myeong Taegyun Special Prosecutor Act' that "Lee Jae-myung will bear the harsh cost of false accusations." In a post on Facebook that day, Mayor Hong stated, "Do whatever you want, whether you include me to pass the Myeong Taegyun Special Prosecutor Act or not. I don't care." He added, "There is no need to pay attention to a fraudster and public opinion manipulator like Myeong Taegyun spouting nonsense at will. I even filed additional complaints against Myeong Taegyun and his lawyer yesterday, yet the Democratic Party demands that I support that special prosecutor law," expressing his frustration by saying, "They are truly absurd groups."

The Democratic Party of Korea has proposed the Myeong Taegyun Special Prosecutor Act, while Hong Joon-pyo, Mayor of Daegu, warned that there will be consequences for false accusations. On the 12th, Mayor Hong emphasized regarding the Democratic Party of Korea's proposal of the "Myeong Taegyun Special Prosecutor Act" that "Lee Jae-myung will bear a harsh price for the false accusations." Photo by Yonhap News

On the same day, Mayor Hong also pointed out in another post, "Loyalty has long disappeared from the political scene in Yeouido, and only interest groups run rampant." He explained, "Loyalty is a compound word derived from one character each of courtesy and duty. During the era of the three Kims, it was a time of comrades united by loyalty rather than interest, but today's Yeouido politics is an era of opportunists (groups selfishly seeking their own interests) where interest takes precedence over comrades, which is why the country is in turmoil." He then questioned, "Even if factions are formed, if they are factions bound by comradeship, it wouldn't be bad, but in an era like now where interest groups run rampant, can there be any proper factions?"

Earlier, on the 11th, six opposition parties including the Democratic Party of Korea, the Innovation Party of Jo Guk, the Reform New Party, the Progressive Party, the Basic Income Party, and the Social Democratic Party jointly proposed the 'Myeong Taegyun Special Prosecutor Act.' The core of the Myeong Taegyun Special Prosecutor Act is to investigate politicians suspected of being involved with President Yoon Seok-yeol, First Lady Kim Geon-hee, and Mr. Myeong. Regarding the special prosecutor, Mr. Myeong wrote on his Facebook, "Include all suspicions related to me in the special prosecutor's scope, such as nomination interference, the People Power Party, the presidential primary, violations of the Political Funds Act, illegal manipulated opinion polls, Changwon national industrial complex, evidence destruction instruction involving the prosecutor's golden phone, and cases filed by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo," and urged, "Do not conduct a half-hearted special prosecutor investigation."

On the 11th, the six opposition party lawmakers submitted the Myeong Taegyun Special Prosecutor Act to the National Assembly's Legislative Affairs Office. From the left: Yoon Jong-oh, Floor Leader of the Progressive Party; Seo Young-kyo, Head of the Myeong Taegyun Gate Fact-Finding Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea; Jeong Chun-saeng, Chief Deputy Floor Leader of the Party for Innovation of the Fatherland; Han Chang-min, Leader of the Social Democratic Party; and Yong Hye-in, Leader of the Basic Income Party. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Mr. Myeong said, "Eleven prosecutors have thoroughly investigated my life for over four months," and added, "Now is the time for the public to know the dirty and ugly truth behind the political world." In a series of statements, Mr. Myeong also said, "Who deserves credit for the People Power Party's consecutive victories since the April 15 general election? Who do Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo owe their mayoral positions to?" He questioned, "They couldn't say anything before going to prison, but now that they are detained, they think it's the right time to speak out?" He further stated, "They are worse than beasts, repaying kindness with enmity. Please include Oh Se-hoon and Hong Joon-pyo, who filed complaints against me, in the special prosecutor's investigation," and vowed, "I will expose their true colors related to the last presidential election. I will peel off their masks."

Meanwhile, Mr. Myeong has been under trial since his arrest and indictment on December 3 last year on charges of violating the Political Funds Act and instructing evidence concealment. From August 2022 to November 2023, he is accused of receiving 80.7 million won through Kang Hye-kyung, the former accounting manager for former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Young-seon, in connection with recommending Kim as a candidate for the National Assembly election in the Uichang district of Changwon, Gyeongnam, and receiving 240 million won from persons A and B related to local election nomination recommendations at that time.