Han Dong-hoon, candidate for the People's Power Party, said, ”The other three candidates are nothing but thieves... I will not have any private conversations with the First Lady regarding party affairs in the future” (South Korea)

Han Dong-hoon, the ruling People Power Party's candidate for president, said on the 8th, "Even if I become party leader, I will not have discussions with the President's wife regarding party affairs."
Candidate Han met with reporters after a joint speech at the party convention held in Gwangju on the same day and announced his intention to take on Kim Gon-seok ahead of the general election in January.
Regarding the controversy over his ignoring a message from Kim Joon-hee apologizing for the designer bag scandal, he said, "Public and private matters must be clearly separated."
Candidate Han emphasized, "At the time, I conveyed my opinion that an apology was necessary (to the Presidential Office), and as a result, I suffered great damage." This is a "public channel" to demand an apology from First Lady Kim.
Han said, "Yoon Sang Hyun, Na Kyung Won, Won Hee Ryong (former President)...
Ryu) Wasn't it the candidate who said that an apology was necessary?' He said that it was 'the arrogance of a thief' to criticize the three candidates who were silent on the issue at the time for 'ignoring his message.'
" He continued, "If he had privately exchanged messages with Kim in that situation, wouldn't the opposition party have said, 'We're refusing to engage in national politics' when those messages become public?"
Candidate Han said to the three candidates, "If you become the party chairman, will you answer if the First Lady asks about party affairs?" Candidate Han said that he discussed the issue of nomination with his family when he was the emergency response committee chairman.
In response to the allegations, he said, "There is absolutely no truth to that. I have always placed great importance on the distinction between public and private life. This is typical old-fashioned behavior." He added, "If this is the extent of the allegations, it is serious defamation.
If this occurs, I will immediately withdraw from the candidacy."