Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo Apologizes, Accepts Criticism Over Playing Golf During Flood Disaster

Daegu Mayor Hong Jun-pyo apologized after four days on the 19th, saying he “accepts the criticism that it was inappropriate” regarding his golf round during the flood disaster.

Mayor Hong held an emergency press conference at the Daegu City Dongin Office on the same day and said, “It was a weekend schedule (and it did not rain in Daegu), and there was no violation of the disaster response manual, but I humbly accept the criticism that it was inappropriate given the nationwide concerns about flooding.”

Hong Jun-pyo, Mayor of Daegu

He added, “I also sincerely apologize for not fully considering the public sentiment while explaining the principles and the situation at the time. I apologize once again for causing concern to party members and comrades who were hurt by the flood damage.”

Mayor Hong explained the situation at the time, saying, “On the 15th, when I played golf, it did not rain in Daegu, and the Daegu city government was operating under Emergency Level 2 according to the comprehensive summer natural disaster countermeasures, with the Deputy Mayor overseeing the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. The opening ceremony of the Sincheon Water Playground was held as scheduled at 10 a.m. that day, and after the ceremony, I exercised for an hour starting at 11:30 a.m., but stopped and returned when it started raining.”

News that Mayor Hong played golf while the whole country was suffering from floods sparked strong criticism from the Daegu branch of the Democratic Party of Korea, Daegu Participation Solidarity and other civic groups in Daegu, as well as the Daegu city government employees’ union, the “New Public Officials Labor Union.”

Also, at 9 a.m. on the 18th, Jang Jae-hyung, chairman of the Daegu city government employees’ union, held a solo protest demanding that “Mayor Hong apologize to the citizens of Daegu.”

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