Hong Joon-pyo: "Tae Young-ho and Ji Sung-ho, Reasoned Common Sense... Criticism Was Wrong"

"Did the Blue House and the US, who controlled North Korea intelligence, also initially hesitate?"

In the 21st general election, Hong Jun-pyo, who ran as an independent candidate in Suseong-gu B, Daegu, is answering reporters' questions at the election campaign office in Dusan-dong, Suseong-gu, Daegu, on the morning of the 16th, when the election result was confirmed. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] Former Liberty Korea Party leader Hong Joon-pyo defended Tae Young-ho and Ji Sung-ho, elected members of the Future United Party and Future Korea Party respectively, who raised suspicions about North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un's health, saying, "It is wrong to condemn them simply for making reasonable inferences."

On the 4th, Hong wrote on his Facebook, "Elected lawmakers Tae Young-ho and Ji Sung-ho, who defected from North Korea, could have reasonably made such predictions about this extremely unusual situation occurring in the dark world," adding, "I cannot help but feel that the excessive pressure on them is over the top."

He emphasized, "When rumors about Kim Jong-un's health surfaced, I told those around me to check △whether there were movements of Chinese troops near the China-North Korea border △whether emergency measures were taken in Pyongyang city △whether there were movements by the South Korean National Intelligence Service," and said, "If none of these three show any movement, it is highly likely to be fake news."

He continued, "Even the Moon administration, which controls intelligence on North Korea, was initially flustered, and didn't the United States also waver?" and pointed out, "In this situation, it was wrong to blindly criticize the elected members who raised doubts."

Earlier, on the 28th of last month, elected member Tae appeared on CNN in the United States and claimed, "Chairman Kim is unable to stand or walk properly on his own." Elected member Ji also claimed in an interview with Newsis, "There is a 99% certainty of death."

However, on the 1st, the Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim attended the completion ceremony of the fertilizer factory in Sunchon, South Pyongan Province, dispelling the rumors about his health.

On the 4th, Tae issued a statement saying, "Regardless of the reasons, I apologize to the people," and emphasized, "I will conduct my legislative activities more cautiously and humbly based on this incident."

Ji also said in a statement that afternoon, "I have reflected deeply on myself over the past few days. I deeply felt the weight of my position," and added, "I will act cautiously as a public figure from now on."

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