"Judiciary Is Alive" Says Hong Joon-pyo...Relieved by Park Chung-hee Statue Ruling, Calls Abolishing Prosecutor's Office a "Tragedy"

Hong Joon-pyo on Park Chung-hee Statue Ruling: "I Am Relieved"

Continues Outspoken Remarks on Political and Social Issues

Former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo has made a series of strongly worded statements regarding political and social issues, such as the court ruling to keep the statue of former President Park Chung-hee, the controversy over historical distortion surrounding the film "The Assassin(s)," and the abolition of the Prosecutor's Office. In particular, referring to the abolition of the Prosecutor's Office, which had a 78-year history, he argued that it was the result of both "the abuse of power by political prosecutors like former President Yoon Suk-yeol and independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon" and "the personal vendetta of President Lee Jae-myung," thus pointing blame at the entire political establishment.

Former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo made a series of strong remarks on political and social issues, including the ruling to keep the statue of former President Park Chung-hee, the controversy over historical distortion surrounding the film Assassin(s), and the abolition of the prosecution office. Yonhap News Agency

On the 1st, via Facebook, Hong commented on the court's decision regarding the statue of former President Park Chung-hee installed at Dongdaegu Station Plaza. The National Railroad Corporation had filed a lawsuit against the Daegu city government requesting the removal of the statue, but the court ruled in favor of the city. Hong stated, "I felt relieved to see that the judiciary is still alive." On this day, the 11th Civil Division of the Daegu District Court dismissed all claims for the delivery of the structure filed by the National Railroad Corporation against Daegu City. The court acknowledged that while the ownership of the overpass at Dongdaegu Station belongs to the corporation, Daegu City also holds usage or management rights to install, manage, and operate various facilities in that area. The statue was installed in December 2024, during Hong's tenure as mayor.

Hong assessed, "Leftist groups pushed the National Railroad Corporation to file the lawsuit demanding the statue's removal, but the court ruled there was no need to remove it." He also referenced mockery regarding claims that the statue resembled himself and added, "It was regrettable that the Railroad Corporation would file such a lawsuit simply because the government has changed, even though Daegu City clearly retains the management rights over Dongdaegu Station Plaza."

As controversy surrounding the film "Assassin(s)," which deals with the shooting incident of Lady Yuk Young-soo, spreads, some members of the People's Power Party joined on the 28th, stating it is a "historical distortion that cannot be justified by freedom of expression." Yonhap News

Hong also joined the debate over historical distortion surrounding the film "The Assassin(s)." On the same day through Facebook, he claimed, "No matter how much it is just a movie, if it distorts historical facts, that is not the freedom of expression, but rather an abuse of freedom disguised as freedom of expression." Although he did not directly mention the title, it was widely interpreted as an attack on "The Assassin(s)" given the ongoing debate in political and cinematic circles over historical distortion around this film, which is based on the assassination of Mrs. Yuk Young-soo.

Hong remarked, "After liberation, there was a trend of revisionist perspectives that even claimed the Korean War was a northern invasion," and added, "To distort history is to commit a betrayal against history itself, akin to the acts of traitors to the nation."

Furthermore, he continued his criticism regarding the abolition of the Prosecutor's Office. In a separate post on the 1st, he stated, "From tomorrow, the Prosecutor's Office will be abolished," and argued, "The abolition of the Prosecutor's Office, which has an 80-year history, is a tragedy resulting from the abuses of power by political prosecutors like Yoon Suk-yeol and Han Dong-hoon, as well as the personal vendetta of President Lee Jae-myung." He went on to say, "The people will suffer all the consequences, yet those responsible offer no remorse and only blame each other," thus holding the entire political community accountable.

On the 2nd, due to the prosecution reform by the Lee Jae-myung administration, the Prosecutors' Office, which had both investigation and prosecution authority, closed after 78 years, and the Public Prosecution Office and the Serious Crime Investigation Office officially launched. A replaced signboard is displayed at the main entrance of the Seoul Central District Public Prosecution Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

Particularly, independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, whom Hong identified as responsible for the abolition of the Prosecutor's Office, also strongly condemned the institutional overhaul. On the 1st, one day ahead of the abolition, Han held a debate at the National Assembly titled "D-1 until the implementation of the revised Criminal Procedure Act: Prosecutor's Office abolished, from tomorrow the gates of hell will open." He stated, "The prosecution system, which has quietly underpinned the legal system like air for nearly 100 years, will disappear overnight."

He likened the abolition to "removing the seatbelt from a fast-moving car," arguing that the transition could create investigative gaps and harm the public. Han further claimed that demonizing the prosecution by the Democratic Party lies at the root of this move, citing past investigations into former President Roh Moo-hyun and other Democratic Party politicians as examples. He asserted that the Democratic Party had gradually heightened its narrative of framing prosecutorial investigations as political oppression or fabrication, culminating in the abolition of the prosecution system.

Meanwhile, as of October 2, the Prosecutor's Office was abolished and the Public Prosecution Office and the Serious Crime Investigation Office were officially launched. With the dissolution of the prosecution organization, which had existed since 1948, after 78 years in its previous form, the criminal justice system is now undergoing significant change.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.