Cheon Haram "Hong Jun-pyo, Even with Flaws, Must Be Embraced to Be Evaluated as a Presidential Candidate"

"Is Lee Jun-seok Not a Traitor but Ha Tae-gyeong Is?"
"Jung Cheong-rae, the Bedroom Yeopo"

Ha Tae-kyung, a three-term member of the National Assembly from Haeundae, Busan, announced his intention to run in the challenging district of Seoul. In response, Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo evaluated this as "looking out for his own survival," which Cheon Ha-ram, the People Power Party’s Suncheon Gap district committee chairman, criticized as "belittling."

On the 11th, Cheon said on KBS's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strongest Current Affairs,' "If someone like Mayor Hong has personal feelings, he should show a broader embrace. Doing so would earn him a wider evaluation as a future presidential candidate, but I find it somewhat difficult to understand this part," he stated.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

When Mayor Hong belittled Ha’s decision to run in a tough district, Cheon criticized him for "letting personal feelings lead to belittlement." In response, Mayor Hong took to his social media (SNS) to disparage both Cheon and Ha, saying, "Those who are not even qualified are acting cocky." This sparked a verbal dispute among Mayor Hong, Ha, and Cheon over Ha’s decision to run in a challenging district.

Cheon said, "To be honest, aren’t all politicians looking out for their own survival?" He added, "Ha’s way of finding his own path?holding on even if he might lose nomination in Yeongnam, begging to be allowed to run in another Yeongnam district, and if that fails, leaving the party to run as an independent and survive?is a hundred times better than the old-fashioned politics."

He continued, "It might be a painful point for Mayor Hong, recalling his own actions in the last general election, but Ha should be recognized and praised simply for finding a better way to survive." This was a reference to Mayor Hong’s refusal to run in a tough district for the party and instead running as an independent in Daegu, where he won.

Mayor Hong targeted Cheon and Ha on SNS, calling them "traitors who, even while wearing the mask of pseudo-reform, betrayed comrades." In response, Cheon said, "It seems that if you don’t like someone, you call them a traitor," adding, "He claims he protected the party, and those who went to the Bareun Party are traitors. Why bring up this painful impeachment ordeal we barely escaped from and go back in?"

He added, "During the last presidential primary, Mayor Hong seemed very close to former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok, trying to attract support from the younger generation," and asked, "So does that mean Lee, who went to the Bareun Party, is not a traitor, but only Ha, with whom he has personal feelings, is a traitor?"

Regarding rumors of Ha running in Mapo-eul, Seoul, veteran Democratic Party lawmaker Jung Cheong-rae described him as "weak." Cheon responded by calling it "a typical case of mistaking the power of the land for one’s own ability," adding, "If anything, he feels like a 'Banggu-seok Yeopo'." The term 'Banggu-seok Yeopo' refers to someone who only shows off their power when in a favorable situation.

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