Hong Jun-pyo to Lee Jae-myung and Yoon Seok-youl: "A presidential election where criminals compete is absurd"

People Power Party presidential candidate Hong Joon-pyo is greeting officials on the 9th at Donghwasa Temple in Palgongsan, Daegu.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] Hong Jun-pyo, a presidential candidate from the People Power Party, simultaneously criticized his intra-party rival former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol and Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate from the Democratic Party and Governor of Gyeonggi Province.

On the 9th, after visiting Donghwasa Temple on Palgongsan Mountain in Daegu, Hong met with reporters and stated, "The ruling party's main candidate should currently be under investigation as the mastermind behind the Daejang-dong corruption, and the main opposition candidate has become a criminal community that should be investigated?his mother-in-law, wife, and himself?and sent to prison." This remark was interpreted as targeting Lee and Yoon, respectively.

Hong said, "How can we hold a presidential election like this?" and questioned, "Is it right for criminals to compete against each other in a presidential election?" He added, "After 26 years in politics, I am truly shocked by these events," and criticized, "Even if such people become president, will the people follow them?"

He also explained, "It is absurd that people under investigation are running in the presidential election and have become the main candidates of both ruling and opposition parties." He said, "(Lee) loudly denies being the mastermind behind the Daejang-dong corruption, and (Yoon) is running as a candidate despite the stock manipulation scandal involving his wife related to the 'whistleblower complaint' case," calling it "an absurd presidential election."

On the same day, Hong also addressed suspicions regarding the leak of vote percentages for each candidate in the second preliminary primary. Hong said, "If it was decided not to disclose the (vote percentages), it is not right for one-sided rumors to spread, and it should not happen." He added, "The primary management committee should investigate those making such claims to prevent them from doing it again," emphasizing, "If the same baseless claims are made in the third primary, it could be grounds for rejecting the primary results, but that should not happen."