Ha Tae-kyung: "Hong Joon-pyo Will Restrain Himself... But Will Speak Again If Conditions Improve"

Regarding the controversy over Daegu Mayor Hong Jun-pyo playing golf during the flood situation and his recent severe disciplinary action of a 10-month suspension of party membership, Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the People Power Party, said he would "exercise restraint" but also mentioned that "he will speak out once the conditions improve."

On the 27th, Ha stated on KBS's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs,' "Even if he speaks, I think he will do so cautiously, considering many factors."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Previously, Mayor Hong faced public criticism for playing golf during the flood situation. He defended himself by saying, "Is there any regulation in the public service that says you can play tennis on weekends but not golf?" which further worsened public opinion. Although he later apologized and participated in flood recovery volunteer work, the People Power Party Ethics Committee imposed a severe disciplinary action of a 10-month suspension of party membership the day before.

In response to the host's question, "Does the 10-month suspension mean he should stay quiet until after the general election?" Ha said, "Well, the Ethics Committee might have thought so, but given Mayor Hong's nature, he will likely speak out again once the conditions improve," adding, "It's a kind of occupational disease."

When asked by the host if this was an attempt to prevent Mayor Hong from influencing candidate nominations in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk (TK) region, Ha replied, "Mayor Hong has publicly stated that no one should be given a nomination, for example, that Ha Tae-kyung should not be nominated," adding, "He intervenes in all sorts of matters, but is that necessarily bad for the politicians involved? The public will judge."

This means that despite the disciplinary action, Mayor Hong will continue to make statements regarding nominations, but it may not necessarily harm the politicians concerned.

Regarding the Democratic Party Innovation Committee's recommendation for a roll-call vote on the motion to consent to the arrest of a member of the National Assembly, Ha said, "I think it can be done or not done; this is something that can be debated. But the case involving Representative Lee Jae-myung should be handled later," adding, "There is a conflict of interest in Representative Lee's case."

With the possibility of the prosecution sending a motion to consent to arrest next month following the reversal of statements by former Gyeonggi Province Peace Deputy Governor Lee Hwa-young, Ha suggested skipping this motion and handling it later.

Ha said, "Only after that (the Lee representative arrest consent motion) is passed can the sincerity of the Innovation Committee be proven," adding, "If the Innovation Committee made this proposal after the Lee case, it would be less likely to be misunderstood, but now it is difficult to avoid misunderstandings, and there is also backlash within the Democratic Party."

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