Why Did Hong Joon-pyo Watch Trump's Inauguration at a Hotel? "He's the Next Presidential Candidate, So Why Bother?"

Statement on the Controversy Over Watching the Inauguration at a Hotel
Unable to Meet Trump's Close Aides Due to Scheduling Conflicts

Daegu Mayor Hong Jun-pyo issued a statement in response to criticism over watching U.S. President Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony at a hotel rather than the event venue. On the 21st, Mayor Hong wrote on his Facebook, "Do I really need to shiver with the countless American crowds, wait in line for hours to be searched, and attend the mass gathering? Isn't that embarrassing?" He added, "Still, I visited Washington for the first time in eight years as an invited guest of the U.S. presidential inauguration preparation committee in my capacity as a prospective presidential candidate." He then questioned, "Wouldn't it be better to use that time to meet privately with Trump's close aides and explain the situation in Korea?"

Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo issued a statement in response to criticism over watching U.S. President Donald Trump's inauguration not at the event venue but at a hotel. On the 21st, Mayor Hong wrote on his Facebook, "Is it really necessary to shiver with the countless American crowds, wait in line for hours to be searched, and attend the mass gathering? Isn't that embarrassing?" He added, "Still, I visited Washington for the first time in eight years as a prospective presidential candidate, invited by the U.S. Presidential Inauguration Committee." Photo by Yoon Dong-ju

Mayor Hong explained, "Eight years ago, as the opposition party leader, I prepared for two months and adjusted my schedule to come, but this time I was invited urgently just a week prior and came without schedule adjustments. The official personnel here said they could not make time due to various confirmation hearings." He added, "Even the unofficial personnel, except for two or three, said it was difficult to make time for the presidential inauguration event." He emphasized, "However, I am definitely grasping the local atmosphere in the U.S. The U.S. presidential inauguration was, contrary to our expectations, not a gathering of politicians but simply a national festival."

Meanwhile, on the 22nd, regarding U.S. President Donald Trump referring to North Korea as a nuclear power, Mayor Hong analyzed, "From our perspective, this does not seem to be a bad sign." He wrote on Facebook that morning, "Today, Washington's political circles are paying attention to the fact that Trump called North Korea a nuclear power." He continued, "When I visited Washington in October 2017 as the opposition party leader, the issue of redeploying tactical nuclear weapons was not even mentioned, but the official and unofficial aides I met in Washington this time all said that the North Korean nuclear issue depends on the will of Korean leaders, and most accepted the policy of nuclear balance between South and North Korea."

In particular, Mayor Hong argued, "Denying the existence of North Korea's nuclear weapons is a wrong policy, and approaching the already lost denuclearization issue diplomatically is an unrealistic method." He asserted, "The only remaining path is to realize the South-North nuclear balance policy so that we can escape the threat of North Korea's nuclear weapons." He added, "Rather, I am confident that Trump's second term will be a good opportunity to realistically resolve the North Korean nuclear issue. The economy is about livelihood, but security is about life and death."