Yoon-Hong 'Camp Expansion' Race... Ongoing Recruitment of 'Key Personnel'

Presidential candidate Yoon Seok-yeol, former Prosecutor General from the People Power Party (right), and Representative Hong Joon-pyo are posing before the '1-on-1 Debate' held on the evening of the 15th at the MBC building in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Boryeong] Yoon Seok-yeol, former Prosecutor General and presidential candidate of the People Power Party, and Representative Hong Joon-pyo have been competing to expand their camps by recruiting key figures recently.

According to Yoon’s 'People’s Camp' on the 16th, Ju Ho-young, the most senior member of the party, joined as the campaign committee chairman. A People’s Camp official explained, "Representative Ju accepted the position of campaign committee chairman." It is known that Yoon called Representative Ju several times to offer him the position. The People’s Camp will hold a press conference at the National Assembly on the 17th to announce Representative Ju’s recruitment as campaign committee chairman. Representative Ju is a prominent Daegu-Gyeongbuk (TK) lawmaker who was first elected in 2004 from Daegu Suseong-gu B and has been elected five times in Daegu until last year. It is being evaluated that Yoon recruited Representative Ju to secure party support in Daegu, the 'heart of conservatism.'

Yoon also gained the support of Representative Park Jin, who was a preliminary primary candidate. Park, known as a 'diplomatic expert,' explained his support for Yoon by saying, "All the People Power Party presidential candidates are capable and experienced, but what the people demand is to stop the Moon Jae-in administration’s tyranny, punish corruption, and open a new Korea." He added, "I think Yoon is the candidate with the determination and qualities to best meet the public’s demands."

On the 9th, Yoon also met with former Representative Jang Sung-min and emphasized a 'one team' approach. It is expected that Yoon will target the Honam vote with Jang, who is from Honam and known as a 'DJ prot?g?.'

Representative Hong’s 'jp Hope Camp' has also been steadily announcing key appointments. On the 12th, former Incheon Mayor Ahn Sang-soo was appointed as co-campaign committee chairman and head of the Incheon headquarters. Former Mayor Ahn said, "At this point, I thought it was the task of the era for Representative Hong to become the presidential candidate and president." He added, "We have to fight for four months, and I worry whether other candidates can handle (Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung). I believe that putting forward a flawless candidate will encourage supporters to actively participate and gain public support."

Then, on the 13th, former Representative Lee Eon-ju was appointed as co-campaign committee chairman. Known as a 'conservative female warrior,' Lee, whose constituency was Gwangmyeong in Gyeonggi Province, was assigned to oversee Gyeonggi Province. Lee plans to address the 'female' aspect, which is considered a weakness for Representative Hong. Lee said, "With public sentiment for regime change exceeding the majority, we must choose a safe and prepared candidate." She raised her voice, saying, "Judging by Representative Hong’s actions, I have no doubt that he will firmly confront injustice and vested interests."

Along with this, jp Hope Camp recruited former Representative Lee In-gi as chief special advisor and co-campaign committee chairman for Gyeongbuk, former Representative Kang Seok-jin as deputy head of operations and co-campaign committee chairman for Gyeongnam, and former Representative Kim Seong-hoe as head of talent recruitment on the same day.

Meanwhile, it is known that both sides have sent 'love calls' to former Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Choi Jae-hyung, but Choi has not yet given a definite answer. Regarding this, Representative Hong said, "We respect Chairman Choi’s decision."