Seomin "Hong Jun-pyo attacks Yoon as his approval rating rises... Does he have no shame?"

"Hong Jun-pyo: Many Say They Will Forfeit If He Reaches the Finals"
"The Ruling Party Doesn't Attack Hong Because They Find Him Easy"

Professor Seomin, Dankook University. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Professor Seo Min of Dankook University strongly criticized Hong Jun-pyo, a presidential primary candidate of the People Power Party, saying, "Isn't there any sign that your approval rating has risen a bit?"

On the 27th, Professor Seo wrote on his blog, "I believed that the reason Candidate Hong entered the presidential race was to achieve a regime change, but now Candidate Hong's appearance shows a reckless attitude of 'If it's not me, then regime change or anything else doesn't matter,'" he said.

Professor Seo shared a post on Facebook from the previous day (26th) in which Candidate Hong criticized his competitor, Candidate Yoon Seok-yeol, saying, "I was stunned after reading this post. I have refrained from criticizing Candidate Hong in the spirit of one team, but now it is hard to watch any longer. Isn't there any sign that your approval rating has risen a bit?" he pointed out.

Hong Joon-pyo, the People Power Party's presidential primary candidate, is speaking at a press conference urging a special prosecution investigation into the Daejang-dong corruption case held at the Daegu City Party Office on the 20th. Photo by Yonhap News

He continued, "The reason the government and ruling party are launching full-scale attacks only against Candidate Yoon is not because Candidate Hong has lived a spotless life without any dirt to be found. It's because Candidate Hong is an easy target," he said, adding, "They say that if he makes it to the general election, Lee Jae-myung can easily win, so they don't attack him." He also mentioned that if the ruling party decides to attack Candidate Hong, there are plenty of issues such as the Sung Wan-jong list, the pig libido drug controversy, and fines for election campaign violations.

Professor Seo raised his voice in repeated criticism, saying, "Given these circumstances, seeing Candidate Hong excitedly launching even harsher negative attacks on his own party's candidate in response to the government and ruling party's attacks on Candidate Yoon makes me think that having been in politics for a long time is of no advantage."

Furthermore, he said, "As of now, more people are saying that if Candidate Hong wins on November 5th (the final date for selecting the People Power Party's presidential candidate), they will abstain in the general election. This is because (Candidate Hong) has consistently only attacked Candidate Yoon, not even touching the Daejang-dong controversy," adding, "There is only one week left. At least during this week, we must play fair. If we fight among ourselves and let Lee Jae-myung win, we will remain as sinners in history."