Han Dong-hoon vows to 'sweep out political thugs'; Park Yong-jin fires back: 'Mobilizing power out of personal anger is political thuggery'
Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon hit back at the Democratic Party of Korea, which has pointed to a lax investigation into allegations that his daughter falsified her credentials (inflating non-existent experience and qualifications), declaring he would "sweep incompetent and despicable political thugs out of the political arena." In response, Park Yong-jin, vice chairman of the Regulatory Rationalization Committee, countered that "mobilizing authority out of personal anger is what truly makes a political thug."
The controversy began with the allegations surrounding Han's daughter. When claims emerged, mainly from the Democratic Party, that the past investigation into the "falsified credentials" of Han's daughter had been mishandled, Han countered on Facebook on the 14th, saying, "The essence of the Democratic Party's mob lynching this time is overt political revenge." He went on to vow that after rebuilding the conservative camp, he would drive the Democratic Party out of politics.
Park Yong-jin, speaking on Gwangju Broadcasting (KBC)'s 'News Maker' on the 18th, said, "Statements implying he won't let anyone get away with bothering him sound like he believes personal revenge is also fair game. In the words of former Prosecutor General Yoon Suk-yeol, that makes him a thug, not a prosecutor." Park said now is not the time for anger, and that Han should himself request a reinvestigation. "If there are despicable political thugs, they should be cracked down on and arrested. To do that, he should step up first and say, 'I have nothing to hide, so investigate me,'" Park said.
Regarding the laptop donation involving Han's daughter, whose case has raised suspicions of 'parental privilege,' Park said, "If this did happen, he should be ashamed or apologize to the hurt mothers and fathers, not start calling people political thugs for daring to raise the issue."
On remarks comparing Han's daughter to the daughter of Cho Kuk, head of the Innovation Policy Research Institute, Park said, "Are Cho Kuk's daughter and Han Dong-hoon's daughter the only children in the world? Politicians need to think from the public's perspective." He added, "A politician's own military service issues, their children's military service, and admissions and education matters are sacred cows. The public is angry and feels deprived because well-connected children skip the military yet somehow get into good universities. Doesn't he think about that pain?"
