# Political controversies involving Hong Joon-pyo

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/political-controversies-involving-hong-joon-pyo
> Updated: 2026-08-25T00:27:00.000Z. Sources: 3. Developments: 2.

Former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo has been involved in several political controversies. Initially, Hong criticized efforts to deny or disparage the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement, describing such actions as a rejection of the “spirit of the times” and noting the movement represented a “tragedy of state violence.”

Subsequently, Hong protested investigations into his election expenses, which he characterized as a “separate investigation” (byeol-geon su-sa) potentially triggered by other political cases. He alleged that the administration has conducted “background checks” on him and his family for a year and dismissed allegations of creating slush funds through fictitious transactions as false reports driven by personal grudges.

## Timeline

### 2026-08-25: Hong Joon-pyo protests investigation into election expenses

Former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo denounced ongoing investigations into his election expenses as politically motivated “separate investigations” and demanded an explanation from the government.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/hong-joon-pyo-protests-investigation-into-election-expenses

### 2026-08-15: Hong Joon-pyo criticizes denial of May 18 Gwangju Movement

Former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo criticized efforts to disparage the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement, calling such attempts a rejection of the spirit of the times.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/hong-joon-pyo-criticizes-denial-of-may-18-gwangju-movement

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Cite as: Political controversies involving Hong Joon-pyo. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/political-controversies-involving-hong-joon-pyo