“You Shouldn’t Talk Like That,” Hong Joon-pyo Hangs up During Live Radio Interview

Hong Joon-pyo, mayor of Daegu. Kyunghyang Shinmun Archives

Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo unilaterally hung up during a live radio interview on April 10 when the host repeatedly asked him about a possible bid in the parliamentary elections by Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon. Afterwards, Hong announced, “I ended the interview halfway because they kept asking rude questions as if I was jealous of Minister Han.”

Hong appeared on Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show on CBS radio Monday morning and when the host asked about his thoughts on a possible bid by Minister Han in next year’s parliamentary elections, he said, “I have no opinion.”

He then said, “I think it’s nonsense to tell a certain person to run or not run, because the parliamentary election is an all-out war,” and added, “We will have to engage every last resource we have, so if everyone can, they must engage with all their power.”

When the host again asked Hong his opinion on the election bid, mentioning the view that it would be better for Han to continue serving as a symbol of the government rather than to run in the election, Hong said, “I don’t think that is for me to say. The question itself, that is.” The host tried to change the subject by acknowledging that Hong did not seem to want to talk about the topic, and Hong expressed his discomfort saying, “You shouldn’t talk like that.”

Eventually, when the host quoted an expression Hong often used and said, “Was it impudent?” laughing, Hong said, “Let’s end this phone call. You are twisting my words this morning,” and hung up. After Hong hung up, the host said, “I don’t think this is right when there are listeners listening,” and added, “I believe Mayor Hong will call to apologize.”

Later, Hong wrote on social media, “I said that since the parliamentary elections were an all-out war, if anyone can help, then whoever that person is they must all engage. However, the host was rude and continued to ask questions particularly referring to Minister Han. I deemed that if I continued the conversation, I could be injured with a slip of the tongue and so ended the interview.”

He further said, “The interviewer unilaterally interpreting and concluding the words of the interviewee is not only impolite, but she shouldn’t speak like that,” and added, “Something like this happened a few years ago in an interview on KBS radio, and I regret that such an incident occurred again today during the CBS interview.” He did not extend an apology to the listeners.