Hong Joon-pyo Quickly Walks Back 'Everyone But Han Dong-hoon' Remark

Former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo replied "everyone but Han Dong-hoon" when asked on the 28th who was qualified to be the conservative camp's next presidential candidate, only to revise his remark shortly afterward. The comment appeared on the bulletin board of 'Youth's Dream,' a political online community run by Hong. That day, a post titled "Who among Oh Se-hoon, Han Dong-hoon, and Jang Dong-hyuk is qualified to be the next presidential candidate?" was uploaded to the board, with the author naming Oh Se-hoon, Han Dong-hoon, Jang Dong-hyuk, Lee Jun-seok, and Yoo Seung-min and asking who should be picked as the conservatives' presidential candidate.

In response, the former mayor commented "everyone but Han Dong-hoon," though he did not give a specific reason.

Hong has repeatedly criticized Rep. Han in recent months. On January 18, he called Han a "political prosecutor in his prime who, along with Yoon Suk Yeol, devastated the Korean conservative camp after the impeachment of Park Geun-hye." On August 23, he referred to him as "Chosun's Finest Gum." On September 4, he continued his attacks, calling him "a shameless traitor to conservatism who betrayed the benefactor who had looked after him for 20 years, followed the Lee Jae-myung administration's lead, and handed over power."