Kim Jaewon: "Hong Junpyo's Disciplinary Action? It Initially Started as a Recommendation for Expulsion"

"Who Is the 'Ruffian' Hong Referred to with 'Gwahajiok'?"
"Rarely Praises Others, Attacked Party Lawmakers as Leader"

Kim Jae-won, Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, commented on the heavy disciplinary action of a 10-month suspension of party membership imposed on Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo over the flood golf controversy, saying, "I heard that the initial discussion on disciplinary action started with a recommendation for expulsion from the party," and added, "That would have been a death sentence." He explained that if Mayor Hong had admitted his mistake and apologized early on, the issue could have been resolved lightly. However, because he took a hardline stance, mentioning 'Gwahajiok' (the humiliation of crawling under someone's legs), the atmosphere within the party deteriorated to the point where even expulsion was considered.

Appearing on KBS Radio's 'Choi Kyung-young's Choi Kang's Current Affairs' on the 28th, Kim said, "Mayor Hong could have said that, even though it was raining, he was just engaging in his usual exercise routine, and that he stopped midway, so he didn't realize the seriousness and responded late. If he had said that, things might not have escalated. But instead, he made remarks that the public could perceive as very negative, assertively asking what he had done wrong, and even referenced 'Gwahajiok' (the humiliation beneath the crotch)," he said.

Daegu Mayor Hong Junpyo visited Cheonhyang 2-ri, Gamcheon-myeon, Yecheon County, Gyeongbuk, which has been severely affected by flooding, on the 24th and participated in flood recovery volunteer activities.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

After the party's Ethics Committee initiated disciplinary proceedings against him on the 20th, following the flood golf controversy, Mayor Hong posted the idiom 'Gwahajiok' on Facebook to express his feelings. The term means 'the humiliation of crawling under someone's crotch,' and there was criticism that likening the Ethics Committee's disciplinary action to such humiliation was inappropriate. Mayor Hong later deleted the post.

Kim explained, "'Gwahajiok' refers to an old story where a poet, when he was young, endured bullying from local ruffians in his hometown by crawling under their crotches. He endured the humiliation and later became a great general. So, when you think about who the ruffian telling him to crawl under the crotch is, many people might wonder, 'Is he referring to me now?'"

He added, "Since Mayor Hong is targeting several people, for example, the members of the Ethics Committee, and of course (Kim Gi-hyeon) the party leader, even those higher up could feel that way."

Regarding Mayor Hong, he said, "Politicians usually try to win others' favor and votes, so they often go out of their way to praise others, even pretending to like them when they don't. But with Mayor Hong, you rarely see him complimenting others. Instead, he criticizes, blames, and attacks by picking on their weaknesses."

Kim continued, "He has often stirred up issues not only by attacking and criticizing other parties with different political ideologies, but also by mainly targeting and criticizing people within his own party. Especially during his time as party leader, he even attacked fellow party lawmakers, setting a new precedent in political history," he added.

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