“Excluding Me While Embracing a Far-Right Pastor with a Dirty Mouth,” Hong Joon-pyo Attacks Kim Gi-hyeon

Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo speaks in a meeting between the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Daegu metropolitan government to discuss a state industrial complex and balanced development at Daegu City Hall (Sangyeok office) on March 20. Yonhap News

On April 14, Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo criticized the People Power Party (PPP) leader Kim Gi-hyeon for removing him from the position of senior party advisor and said, “If he can restore the party leadership by trampling over me, then I could willingly sacrifice myself. But will he be able to get rid of that habit of studying people’s faces and peeping around, which has become second nature, so easily?”

Friday, Mayor Hong wrote on social media, “Yesterday, there was a pleasant incident and an unpleasant incident. The National Assembly passed the New Integrated Airport Act, which will be the starting point of the 50-year project for the future of Daegu. And I witnessed leader Kim Gi-hyeon wrongfully vent his anger by excluding me while embracing a far-right pastor with a dirty mouth, whom he praised as Isaiah.”

On April 13, Kim Gi-hyeon dismissed Hong from senior advisor, which Hong defined as the party leader unfairly venting his anger on him. In a meeting of the party’s Supreme Council at the National Assembly right before Kim announced Hong’s dismissal, the PPP leader said, “A certain preacher is exerting his influence over the People Power Party and the party leadership is studying his face, conscious of his every reaction. Does this make sense?” He further expressed his discomfort saying, “Recently, the excessive arguments about our party leadership by some figures inside and outside our party have gone too far.” Kim Gi-hyeon once praised Jeon Kwang-hoon, the pastor of Sarang Jeil Church, as “a prophet like Isaiah.”

Mayor Hong said, “The unpleasant incident yesterday, I will bury in the past. After all, it is only a problem with a particular individual, not a problem with the party.”

Hong repeatedly criticized the party leader after Kim Jae-won, a member of the Supreme Council, stirred controversy with a remark about Pastor Jeon last month. Hong demanded disciplinary action against Kim Jae-won and called for the party leader to sever ties with Pastor Jeon, asking, “Does Jeon have something on him (Kim Gi-hyeon)?” On April 3, when Kim Gi-hyeon said he would like Hong to concentrate on local administration, Hong responded by saying, “As a senior advisor who twice served as party leader, I have the authority and duty to participate in central politics.” He further wrote, “Can you be certain that we won’t shift to an emergency committee system ahead of the parliamentary elections?” but later removed that sentence. Reportedly, Kim Gi-hyeon was furious about Hong’s mention of an emergency committee.

Shortly after he was removed on Thursday, Hong wrote on social media, “Why don’t you take this opportunity to appoint the pastor with a dirty mouth (Pastor Jeon) as senior advisor?” and added, “He is venting his anger on the wrong person. Why not enforce disciplinary actions against the one who caused the problem (Kim Jae-won)? Why enforce them on me? We are turning into an absurd party.”