People Power Party Second Primary 'One-on-One Debate'
Han: "The public must now understand Hong Joonpyo's view on public office"
Hong: "People end up unfairly imprisoned due to witch hunts"
Regarding Hong's remark, 'I will work with the Lee Jaemyung faction'
Hong: "We need to acknowledge the opposition and compromise where necessary"
Han: "Why do you only shed tears for the Democratic Party?"
On April 25, former Daegu Mayor Hong Joonpyo, a presidential primary candidate for the People Power Party, and former party leader Han Donghoon clashed head-on over differing views regarding the allegations of corporate credit card misuse by Lee Jaemyung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea.
During a one-on-one debate held at the Channel A studio in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Han Donghoon pointed out a social media post made by Hong Joonpyo in November of last year, in which Hong questioned whether it was appropriate to indict Lee Jaemyung over the "Gyeonggi Province corporate credit card misuse allegations."
Han Donghoon asked, "You said something along the lines of, 'Is it right to indict over such matters at this time, causing misunderstanding,' implying that the indictment related to the corporate credit card was problematic and wrong. What did you mean by that?"
In response, Hong Joonpyo said, "Even when Han Donghoon was Minister of Justice and mobilized 200 prosecutors, they couldn't catch Lee Jaemyung," and added, "In the Daejang-dong case, they should have investigated what gains were obtained. Since they couldn't, is it normal to indict over things like fuel expenses when a local government head uses a car?"
Hong Joonpyo continued, "What I'm saying is, why do you leave the major issues aside and indict over trivial matters, creating political controversy? When investigations are conducted in such a sweeping, exhaustive manner, isn't that why people end up being unfairly imprisoned or driven to suicide?"
In response, Han Donghoon criticized Hong Joonpyo's view on public office, saying, "Is it considered a witch hunt to investigate when a local government head's spouse or family buys fruit or shampoo? Are you saying such things should be overlooked?" He added, "I believe the public now clearly understands Hong Joonpyo's view on public office. It seems he thinks such matters are insignificant."
Additionally, Han Donghoon criticized Hong Joonpyo's remarks from the previous day, in which he said he would work together even with Lee Jaemyung's Democratic Party faction after winning the presidential election. Han also accused Hong of being lenient regarding the bribery indictment of former President Moon Jaein and the investigation into Cho Kuk, former leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party.
Han Donghoon pressed, "Why does Hong Joonpyo only shed tears for people on the Democratic Party side? While fighting for the presidency, why does he say he will work with Lee Jaemyung in front of the Democratic Party and only show emotion there?"
In response, Hong Joonpyo said, "How did former President Yoon Sukyeol and Han Donghoon run the country over the past three years for the nation to end up like this? If they had acknowledged the existence of the opposition, communicated, and persuaded, would things have turned out this way?" He added, "Isn't it because they treated the opposition as something to be destroyed and despised that things ended up like this?"
Regarding the confrontational stance that Yoon Sukyeol and Han Donghoon have taken against Lee Jaemyung, Hong Joonpyo also criticized, "If we continue with this adversarial approach, where will this country go? We need to acknowledge the opposition, engage in dialogue, and compromise where necessary."
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