Hong Ik-pyo Finally Resigns as Spokesperson... "I Have Hurt the Residents of Daegu and Gyeongbuk"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] Hong Ik-pyo, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea who sparked controversy with his remarks on the ‘Daegu·Gyeongbuk lockdown policy,’ has stepped down from his position as chief spokesperson.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 26th, Rep. Hong expressed his intention to resign, saying, “Even a single word should be carefully considered, but I have hurt the residents of Daegu and Gyeongbuk.”

He stated, “I will accept the criticism graciously,” and added, “I failed to alleviate the public’s anxiety. I apologize for this and will take responsibility by stepping down as chief spokesperson.”

He further said, “I believe that if we embrace each other with trust and cooperation rather than distrust and criticism, we will surely overcome the difficulties together.”

Rep. Hong caused controversy the day before during a briefing at a high-level party-government meeting held to prepare measures against the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), when he said, “We have decided to designate Daegu and Cheongdo in Gyeongbuk as special infectious disease control areas and implement the maximum lockdown policy beyond usual blocking measures to prevent the spread.” The Democratic Party later tried to manage the situation by stating, “It does not mean blocking entry altogether,” but criticism continued.

The Democratic Party leadership officially apologized on the morning of the same day, saying, “We caused concern with inappropriate expressions. We failed to fully understand the desperate feelings of the city and provincial residents.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.