Lee Jun-seok Growing Distant from Hong Jun-pyo, "It's Dangerous to Follow Hong's Words"

"Hong bows greeting the president... different from before"

Hong Joon-pyo, Mayor of Daegu (left), and Lee Jun-seok, former leader of the People Power Party

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Daegu Mayor Hong Jun-pyo and former People Power Party (PPP) leader Lee Jun-seok clashed. Amid the conflict between Lee and the PPP, when Mayor Hong repeatedly criticized Lee, the former leader responded, "If you act according to Mayor Hong's words, it is dangerous." Mayor Hong had shown a relatively friendly attitude toward Lee within the party, but after Lee publicly criticized President Yoon Seok-yeol and the PPP, Hong turned away, urging him to "exercise restraint."

On the 5th, Lee appeared on CBS Radio's "Park Jae-hong's One-on-One Match" and said, "Mayor Hong usually makes two statements at the same time. In the end, he concludes with a false equivalence, saying, 'See, didn't I tell you so?'" He added, "Using Mayor Hong's words as a basis for political actions is dangerous for any politician."

Regarding the injunction Lee filed in opposition to the PPP's transition to an emergency response committee, he claimed, "(Mayor Hong) once told me, 'The injunction will definitely be granted,' but later said, 'It won't be granted, so why are you doing it?'" He also said, "His perspective on the president changed; three months ago, Mayor Hong said one thing, but recently, when meeting the president and bowing, his words were different," indicating a change in Hong's words and attitude.

Mayor Hong recently made harsh criticisms targeting Lee. In an interview with Sisa Journal released on the 3rd, he said, "I've been in politics for 27 years, but this is the first time I've seen a party leader disciplined, and the first time I've seen someone act up like that after being disciplined," targeting Lee by saying that if disciplined, he should resign immediately.

Mayor Hong also lashed out when Lee held a press conference on the 13th of last month, mentioning so-called "internal backstabbing" text messages and publicly targeting President Yoon and "Yun Hae-gwan (President Yoon's key aides)." He said, "(Lee) should also think about why he was criticized."

In response to Mayor Hong's criticism, Lee expressed displeasure on CBS Radio's "Kim Hyun-jung's News Show," calling it "low-level talk" and saying, "For example, when there is a victim of bullying at school, the worst thing is to say, 'There must have been a reason for the bullying,'" expressing his discomfort.

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