Hong Jun-pyo to Joo Ho-young, who said rejoining the party would be difficult: "Truly ungrateful"

On June 9, Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the United Future Party (now the People Power Party), and Hong Joon-pyo, an independent lawmaker, are discussing at a special lecture commemorating the opening of the 21st National Assembly held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building during the 'Korea Future Innovation Forum.' Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] On the 4th, independent lawmaker Hong Joon-pyo called it "truly ungrateful" in response to People Power Party floor leader Joo Ho-young saying that his reinstatement to the party would be "difficult for a considerable period."

On that day, Hong said on his Facebook, "Floor leader Joo Ho-young stated in an interview with JoongAng Ilbo that many lawmakers oppose my reinstatement, that people in their 30s and 40s dislike me, and that the party would be divided ahead of the Seoul mayoral election."

He continued, "I heard that except for two or three lawmakers from Busan and one from Chungcheong, no one explicitly opposes my reinstatement, and do people in their 30s and 40s dislike People Power Party or dislike Hong Joon-pyo? It is right to unite ahead of the Seoul mayoral election.

It is hard to understand what kind of absurd logic it is to say the party will be divided and still contest the Seoul mayoral election," he said.

Hong mentioned a case where he had helped floor leader Joo in the past, saying, "Perhaps if I am reinstated, he will lose the representation of the TK region and it will affect his party leadership election next year, so he is using the shallow trick of telling me to be reinstated only after next year's party convention." He criticized, "With such leadership that made the opposition party an incompetent and powerless second-rate party, how can he be party leader?"

He added, "I had mistakenly believed that, out of human decency, floor leader Joo Ho-young would take the lead in resolving the reinstatement issue."

Earlier, floor leader Joo said in a recent interview with a media outlet that Hong's reinstatement would be "difficult for a considerable period." Joo expressed a negative stance on Hong's reinstatement ahead of the April by-election for Seoul mayor, saying, "(Hong's reinstatement) is opposed by many lawmakers, and the unfavorable perception among women in their 30s and 40s and white-collar workers is high, which would lead to party division. Such a situation is undesirable ahead of the Seoul mayoral election."