"40% of Moon's Supporters, What Kind of Mentality Do They Have?"... Hong Sehwa, 'Taxi Driver of Paris,' Delivers a Scathing Remark

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] Progressive intellectual Hong Se-hwa, famous as the author of "I Am a Taxi Driver in Paris," strongly criticized in an interview with a media outlet, saying, "I don't know why President Moon came to power," and "I don't understand what kind of mentality the 40% of his support base has."

On the 19th, Hong Se-hwa said in an interview with Shindonga, "I don't really understand why President Moon Jae-in came to power," and criticized, "I can't see what kind of national governance philosophy he has, what political philosophy he holds, or what kind of future blueprint he envisions."

He added, "Who is the currently proposed Corruption Investigation Office for? It is just a greater power. In France, the prosecution does not monopolize indictments; victims of crimes are allowed to directly prosecute (private prosecution system), which limits the abuse of prosecutorial power," and said, "Creating a system that allows civic control like this is democratic control, the role of the National Assembly, and prosecutorial reform. But now, prosecutorial reform has become 'just remove Yoon Seok-youl' and 'if you don't like it, stand on my side.'"

He continued, "If you are the highest leader of the state, you must express your will, debate, persuade, promote, and break through issues where public opinion is divided. You must be prepared to be criticized," and said, "But as politics has become fandom-like, critical voices are completely ignored."

Last month, Hong also contributed a column titled "Our President is a Kind King" to the Hankyoreh newspaper, criticizing President Moon. He said, "I have received all the insults I will ever get from (President Moon’s supporters). At over seventy years old, they told me to 'stop talking nonsense and go drive a taxi (in Paris),'" but added, "However, looking at the current president, I feel my intentions have not been well conveyed."

Since the launch of the current administration, Hong has repeatedly criticized the ruling party. He also pointed at the 586 activist generation at the core of the government, saying, "They are democratic thugs who neither studied properly nor know how hard it is to actually earn money," and criticized, "Just as conservatives are no longer conservatives, progressives are no longer progressives."

He said, "During President Park Geun-hye’s time, I found the terms 'pro-Park' and 'true-Park' amusing, but now in this administration, they say 'Protect Cho Kuk.' Why protect one person?" He raised his voice, saying, "They even mobilize everything, including things they shouldn’t do, to 'hoard opportunities' for one family, shouting 'We are Jeong Gyeong-sim!' I am really curious about what kind of mentality the 40% who support such things have."

In response to Hong Se-hwa’s interview, who is considered a representative progressive intellectual, former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon also echoed on Facebook on the 19th by linking the article and saying, "Teacher Hong Se-hwa has opened fire on the democratic thugs who are destroying democracy."

Meanwhile, Hong Se-hwa graduated from Seoul National University’s Department of Diplomacy and was exiled to France in 1979 due to involvement in the Namminjeon incident. He returned to Korea in 1999 and permanently in 2002, working as a journalist, writer, and educator. He is famous as the author of I Am a Taxi Driver in Paris, written during his exile in France.

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