When Asked About Hong Jun-pyo's Position, Kim Hyung-o Reacted Sharply... "Is That Person That Important?"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] As the candidacy region of former Liberty Korea Party leader Hong Joon-pyo is expected to be decided as early as the 19th, Kim Hyung-o, the Future United Party's nomination committee chairman, deflected reporters' questions about Hong's whereabouts by saying, "Why is he so important?"

On the 18th, after finishing a briefing on talent recruitment at the National Assembly main building, Kim met with reporters and showed an irritable response, saying, "Stop talking about that. If he is that important, ask him directly."

This remark is interpreted as an attempt to divert attention from the media's excessive interest in former leader Hong amid the ongoing nomination process. Regarding the announcement by Jang Seok-chun, the third member of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk (TK) region, that he will not run in the general election, Kim said, "We highly appreciate his self-sacrificing attitude for the party and the country, and to show a new image to his constituency," adding, "We will make a framework for fair and strict reform nominations without losing our original intention, while also ensuring winning nominations."

Former leader Hong stated on Facebook that "Until my fifth candidacy, I was nominated without any interviews, but this time, pursuing a fair world, the nomination committee's policy is that everyone is interviewed equally, so I also came up to Seoul and am waiting for the interview," and expressed respect for "this nomination process conducted under the same conditions for everyone as an ordinary party member."

On the same day, the nomination committee recruited 'female talents who will change the future,' including Yoon Hee-sook, professor at the Korea Development Institute (KDI) Graduate School of International Studies, Ha Ji-won, CEO of Eco Mom Korea, and Lee Soo-hee, lawyer at Hanbyul Law Firm. Additionally, Yoo Il-jun, a lawyer who served as the Blue House Secretary for Public Office Discipline, was newly recruited as a nomination committee member.