"Remove Han Dong-hoon and give me the Prime Minister"… Shocking remarks revealed in 'Hong Joon-pyo's recorded conversation'

On the 3rd, the Democratic Party of Korea officially raised suspicions that Mr. Myung Tae-kyun, a key figure in the 'Myung Tae-kyun Gate', had orchestrated a meeting in which President Yoon Suk-yeol and Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo were bargaining over the Prime Minister position. The party's fact-finding investigation team held a press conference at the National Assembly, releasing the recorded phone conversation and criticizing it as "a level of constitutional violation and national governance corruption."

The recording disclosed by the investigation team contained a conversation between entrepreneur Kim Han-jeong and Kim Young-sun, the finance officer of the People Power Party, Kang Hye-kyung. In the discussion, Kim stated, "At a gathering with spouses, Hong Joon-pyo told Yoon Suk-yeol, 'If you give me the Prime Minister position and the appointment rights for cabinet ministers, I will remove Han Dong-hoon and dispose of the Daegu mayor position.'"

The investigation team emphasized, "If this recording is true, it constitutes a transaction of national appointment authority through a civilian mediating between the President and the local government leader. This is a clear case of corruption in national governance and a serious matter that undermines the constitutional order."

"Bargaining over the Prime Minister position and ministerial appointment rights… Explain yourself before the public"

The Democratic Party stated, "Such remarks that treat national governance as a bargaining chip betray the trust of the people," and questioned, "What citizen would trust and hand over the country to someone who uses the Prime Minister position and cabinet ministerial appointment rights as tools for political strife and power struggles?"

Particularly, the Democratic Party recalled Hong's past statement that he would leave politics if he were involved in the Myung Tae-kyun incident on March 14 last year, and pointedly remarked, "Now is the time to keep that promise."

On the same day, the Democratic Party of Korea's Daegu City Chapter, through commentary, stated, "If these remarks are true, they go beyond simple political misstatements; they are an admission of power transactions that thoroughly disregard the 2.4 million citizens of Daegu and are a violent breach of the foundations of autonomous administration." They urged, "Mayor Hong should immediately retract the notion of viewing the mayoral position as a means of political bargaining and clearly explain the truth of his remarks."

They added, "Do not remain silent or evade responsibility; clarify it right now," and criticized the idea, saying, "Changing the narrative and silence will no longer resonate with the citizens of Daegu and the public."

Hong Joon-pyo rebuts: "Nonsensical conflict… If I colluded with Myung Tae-kyun, I would retire"

In response to these allegations, Mayor Hong Joon-pyo immediately refuted. He said, "Previously, they nitpicked over a single remark made in an official setting, and now they bring up nonsensical recordings," asserting, "If that logic were valid, Lee Jae-myung would have been punished over a hundred times."

He continued, "If I conspired with Myung Tae-kyun on a crime, as I have stated before, I would announce my retirement from politics. There is nothing to nitpick on, so they are grasping at straws. It’s absurd," dismissing the allegations.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party's Daegu City Chapter called for a thorough investigation by the prosecution, stating, "This incident could escalate beyond a public ethics violation into allegations of power-based corruption in national governance," emphasizing, "A fair and thorough investigation is necessary for all related parties, including Mayor Hong."

Image sources: Hong Joon-pyo, Daegu Mayor / News1, Han Dong-hoon, former leader of the People Power Party / News1, Mr. Myung Tae-kyun / News1