Joonpyo Hong: "It Was the Democratic Party and the People, Not Han Donghoon, Who Stopped Martial Law"

Claims “Narcissists Without Insight Must Disappear”

Joonpyo Hong, former mayor of Daegu, stated that it was not Han Donghoon, former leader of the People Power Party, but rather the Democratic Party, which was the opposition at the time, and the people who prevented the December 3 Martial Law crisis.

Joonpyo Hong, former mayor of Daegu.

On January 17, Hong wrote on his social media (Facebook) that "it was not Han Donghoon, but the Democratic Party, which was the opposition at the time, and the people who stopped the martial law." He described Han as someone who should not exist in Korean politics, and claimed that Han, along with Yoon Sukyeol, who was the head of the investigation team during the so-called "Park Geunhye-Choi Soon-sil Gate" investigation, played the role of a "hunting dog" and was a "prime time" political prosecutor who devastated the conservative bloc.

Hong criticized Han for having enjoyed a meteoric rise to key positions such as Minister of Justice and interim leader of the party thanks to Yoon's favor, yet focusing solely on manipulating nominations and self-promotion, which ultimately led to a crushing defeat in the general election. He strongly condemned Han, saying, "After deceiving party members and becoming party leader, he only engaged in petty feuds with Yoon, which resulted in the imposition of martial law and the devastation of the conservative bloc."

He went on to argue that "a narcissist who focuses only on superficial politics without any insight should leave the political scene." Hong added, "I endured criticism and helped Yoon to protect the conservative bloc," and emphasized, "Such political prosecutors should never appear in Korean politics again."

On January 13, Hong also criticized Han, commenting on Yoon's death sentence recommendation and the decision to expel Han from the party, saying, "They self-destructed in a power struggle," and "Park Geunhye's impeachment was due to internal division, and Yoon Sukyeol's impeachment was also due to internal division." Referring to the fact that conservative presidents such as Lee Myungbak, Park Geunhye, and Yoon Sukyeol all ended up in prison, Hong said, "I left that party, so it is no longer my concern, but it happened because those who disrupted the country were not properly purged," and stressed, "This time, deal with it thoroughly and start anew. Political prosecutors must never be allowed to meddle in that party again."

Meanwhile, the Central Ethics Committee of the People Power Party held a lengthy discussion from 5 p.m. on January 13 until after 1 a.m. on the 14th to determine the level of disciplinary action against Han. The committee concluded that Han had violated Article 20, Paragraphs 1 and 2 of the party constitution and regulations, as well as Articles 4 to 6 of the ethics rules, and decided to expel him. This decision will be finalized after a resolution by the Supreme Council.