Yoon Seok-yeol, Hong Joon-pyo's 'Criminal Community' Remark: "Senior, Aren't We Kkanbu?"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Seoyoung] Yoon Seok-yeol, former Prosecutor General and presidential candidate of the People Power Party, expressed a troubled sentiment regarding remarks made by fellow party competitor Hong Joon-pyo.

Today (the 10th), Yoon posted on his Facebook page a message titled "Senior Hong! Aren't we Kkanbu?" This appears to reference the term "Kkanbu" (meaning close friends or allies in games like marbles or ttakji) popularized by the globally acclaimed Netflix original series "Squid Game."

Earlier, on the 9th, Hong visited Donghwasa Temple on Palgongsan Mountain in Daegu and told reporters, "The main candidate of the ruling party should currently be under investigation as the mastermind behind the Daejang-dong corruption, and the main opposition candidate has become a criminal community that should be investigated along with his mother-in-law, wife, and himself and sent to prison." This was interpreted as targeting Governor Lee and former Prosecutor General Yoon, respectively. On the same day, Hong also argued, "Is it right for criminals to unite in a presidential election?"

In response, Yoon said, "(Hong) even used the term 'criminal community' yesterday to lump me together with Governor Lee Jae-myung and attack me," adding, "I feel troubled. I think it might be a bit excessive, and I was overwhelmed with mixed emotions wondering if our politics can only show this kind of image to the people." He continued, "We have a common goal. That is to achieve a regime change in this presidential election," emphasizing, "I believe that is the wish of party members and the people, and the historical mission entrusted to us."

Yoon wrote, "This presidential election concerns the future of the country, and personally, it is a battle in which I have put my entire life on the line, so I understand why the election will inevitably become more intense." Nevertheless, he added, "Our competition is a process toward winning the main election," and questioned, "No matter how fiercely we compete, aren't we comrades who must join shoulders and move forward together for regime change once the primary is over?"

A post uploaded by former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol.
[Photo by Yoon Seok-yeol, former Prosecutor General, Facebook capture]

Furthermore, Yoon stated, "There are less than a month left for us to become one team and work for regime change," and argued, "I think the words we exchange now should not become obstacles to unity in the future." He concluded his message by saying, "Let us compete fiercely but with dignity, not forget that we are comrades, and move out of the past toward the future."

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