Hong Jun-pyo hangs up on Han Dong-hoon’s question with a sharp tone

Hong, Uncomfortable with Han Dong-hoon's Question
"A Leader-Level Figure Hanging Up During a Live Call"

On the 10th, an incident occurred during a live radio interview where Hong Jun-pyo, the mayor of Daegu, abruptly hung up the phone. The reason Hong ended the call was a question regarding Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon's potential candidacy in next year's general election.

When anchor Kim Hyun-jung asked for his opinion on the speculation about Minister Han running in the election, Mayor Hong replied, "The general election is an all-out battle," emphasizing that everyone should contribute their efforts. However, he did not directly mention Minister Han.

Hong Joon-pyo, Mayor of Daegu. [Photo by Yonhap News]

Then, when anchor Kim asked, "There are opinions that Minister Han should maintain his ministerial position rather than run in the election and act as a symbol of the government," Hong responded, "That's not something I should comment on," and "The question itself is like that," before hanging up the phone. Kim’s voice clearly showed signs of surprise.

Later, Mayor Hong explained on Facebook that he ended the call because he felt the question was rude, as if he were envying Minister Han, and thus stopped the interview midway. However, some have criticized that unilaterally hanging up during a live interview was somewhat excessive behavior.

What is the real reason Mayor Hong got upset and hung up over questions related to Minister Han? Considering that Minister Han is regarded as a leading potential presidential candidate within the ruling party, the reason becomes clearer. Since Mayor Hong is also aiming for the next presidency, Minister Han could become a rival competing for the candidacy in the future.

Minister Han’s growing prominence is inevitably uncomfortable for Mayor Hong. Compared to Hong, Minister Han has less political experience, so if Han runs in the general election, gains political experience, and solidifies his position toward the presidency, it would not be a welcome situation for Mayor Hong.

Following Mayor Hong’s interview, Kim Geun-sik, the People Power Party’s Songpa-byeong district committee chairman, who was interviewed next, criticized, "It was really surprising that a leader of that caliber would hang up during a live broadcast just because they were asked about an issue concerning Minister Han, which seemed unrelated to them," calling it inappropriate behavior.

Anchor Kim apologized repeatedly, saying, "We were having a very good, humorous conversation, but at some point, it seems there was something that made him feel a bit uncomfortable," and added, "I think the listeners must have been very surprised as well."

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