Visit to Support Park Sooyoung, People Power Party Lawmaker on Hunger Strike
Hong Junpyo: "Manage Ballot Boxes First, Not Abolish Early Voting"
Strong Denial in Response to Questions About Myeong Taegyun
Hong Jun-pyo, the mayor of Daegu, criticized Han Dong-hoon, former leader of the People Power Party, saying, "You should have a conscience after ruining the party like this, and what nonsense are you talking about after throwing the country into such chaos?" Mayor Hong made these remarks on the 5th after visiting Park Soo-young, a People Power Party lawmaker who is on a hunger strike opposing the appointment of Ma Eun-hyuk as a constitutional court judge, at the National Assembly and meeting with reporters.
Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo criticized former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon, saying, "You should have a conscience after ruining the party like this. How can you make such pointless remarks after throwing the country into chaos?" Photo by Daegu Metropolitan City
Regarding the proposed constitutional amendment among presidential candidates to shorten the next presidential term to three years, he pointed out, "Spending hundreds of billions of won to hold a presidential election amid political civil war, and then telling people to elect a president for just three years? How badly do you want to be president to say such nonsense?" He continued, "In other words, it's like saying, 'Even if I become president, you will get tired of me, so I'll serve only three years and step down.' How can people elect someone who says that as president?" He also revealed his own constitutional amendment plan, saying, "I have already completed the plan and will organize it and release it soon."
When asked about voices within the party calling for the abolition of early voting, Mayor Hong responded, "We should manage early voting well, why abolish it?" He added, "The early voting system was introduced to increase voter turnout and allow everyone to participate in voting. Installing CCTV and thoroughly managing ballot boxes will suffice," emphasizing, "In the United States, voting starts a month in advance. I think abolishing early voting is not appropriate."
Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo visited the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 5th to encourage Park Soo-young, a People Power Party lawmaker who is on an indefinite hunger strike opposing the appointment of Ma Eun-hyuk as a Constitutional Court justice. Photo by Yonhap News
Regarding questions about the 'Myeong Tae-gyun suspicion,' Mayor Hong dismissed them, saying, "I have no connection whatsoever, not even a speck, so a special prosecutor can investigate, or the Central District Prosecutors' Office can all come and try. They say tens of thousands of cases appeared on the golden phone, involving 140 current and former politicians?investigate all of them. Check if my phone number appears even once or if there is a single line of my KakaoTalk messages," he said.
Finally, concerning the Constitutional Court's trial on the impeachment motion against President Yoon Seok-youl, Mayor Hong said, "It's no different from a trial by public opinion. I have never said the president did well, but even if punished, it should be done through due legal process," adding, "A trial that follows public opinion is not the work of constitutional court judges but something done by street thugs."
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