Hong Joon-pyo Steps Back from Tough Stance on 'Dwaeji Baljeongje'... "Some Endure Even After Hearing Boiled Ox Head"

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Hong Joon-pyo, a presidential candidate from the People Power Party, announced on the 11th that he would take a direct approach regarding the controversy over the 'pig estrus drug,' but then stepped back. He decided to leave it to the judgment of the public rather than pursuing lawsuits or accusations.

On the 12th, through social media, Hong said, "After sleeping on it and reconsidering, I have decided not to respond this time to the false statement made by a spokesperson from Lee Jae-myung's side," adding, "I thought it would be right to leave it to the public's judgment rather than retaliating with lawsuits or accusations against politicians' statements."

Hong also expressed his resolve, saying, "I will listen to any words," and "I will endure any insult until I become president."

He added, "Well, there are people who quietly endure being called 'boiled ox brain,' so I guess I have to endure that much too."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, Hong had announced legal action regarding Democratic Party presidential candidate and Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung’s party member Jeon Yong-gi referring to him as a 'confessed sexual assault offender.' Hong stated, "The episode from about 50 years ago when I was a first-year university student at a boarding house, which I wrote about in my 2006 autobiography, was not something I did or conspired in, but rather a story about S University boarding house residents who failed to stop what others did among themselves," adding, "The leftists have twisted this into the 'pig estrus drug' and attacked me, and now a spokesperson from Lee Jae-myung’s side has again labeled me a confessed sexual assault offender. I can no longer tolerate or endure this."

He continued, "To eradicate such behavior, I will file a complaint for election law violations and defamation due to spreading false information, and I will hold him strictly accountable so that his parliamentary seat is revoked as a severe punishment," adding, "If false information is spread with the intent to cause defeat, legally it results in guilt and the parliamentary seat is automatically revoked. This time, I will not let it slide," signaling a strong stance.

Within just one night, Hong shifted from a strong legal response to a political approach of leaving the matter to the public’s judgment.

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