Hong Joon-pyo "With an opposition elder over 80, the ruling and opposition parties' struggle... Is it regime change or regime transition?"

"Becoming an Unrecognizable Presidential Race, Above All, the People Must Be Perplexed... A Foggy Presidential Race"

Hong Jun-pyo, a member of the People Power Party, is giving a greeting at the JP Hope Camp closing ceremony held on the morning of the 8th at the BNB Tower in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] Hong Joon-pyo, a member of the People Power Party, sharply criticized, saying, "An absurd incident is unfolding where the ruling and opposition parties are engaged in a tug-of-war over an 80-year-old veteran politician who has crossed party lines." This is interpreted as a criticism of former Emergency Committee Chairman Kim Jong-in, who has recently been experiencing difficulties regarding joining Yoon Seok-yeol's presidential campaign team.

On the 25th, Hong posted on his Facebook, "It was surprising that a hardcore Democratic Party member came to our party, but someone who devoted 45 years to our party has crossed over to the Democratic Party," he said.

This refers to former Democratic Party leader Kim Han-gil, who leads the 'Era Preparation Committee,' a separate organization from Yoon's campaign team, and former People Power Party lawmaker Park Chang-dal, who entered politics in 1975 starting with the Democratic Republican Party and has walked a 45-year conservative path. Park, who served as the head of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk headquarters for Hong’s campaign during the recent People Power Party presidential primary, left the party on the 19th and declared support for Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party candidate.

He added, "It is becoming an unclear presidential race, and it is hard to tell whether this is about regime change or regime transition," and pointed out, "Above all, the public must be bewildered. It is a foggy presidential race."

Earlier, on his online community platform 'Youth's Dream,' which he established, he had also belittled former Chairman Kim as "someone who only fits in the analog era."

Meanwhile, as former Chairman Kim postponed his final decision to join the campaign team, Yoon said on the 25th, "It is problematic if the election campaign is further delayed, and we must run while saving every minute and second," and appointed a general headquarters-level official for the campaign team while leaving the position of overall campaign chairman vacant.