Hong Joon-pyo Reveals Discomfort with Yoon: "Regret Over Unilateral Cancellation of Camp Participation"

Hong Jun-pyo States Position on 'Nomination Rights Conflict' Controversy via His Facebook on the Morning of the 21st

Hong Joon-pyo, Member of the People Power Party (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Boryeong] Hong Joon-pyo, a member of the People Power Party, expressed discomfort toward the Yoon Seok-yeol presidential candidate's camp after criticism arose regarding the 'nomination rights conflict' directed at him. Hong stated, "I sincerely regret that the agreement to participate in the Central Election Committee campaign, which was reached in a good atmosphere after a long time, was unilaterally broken."

On the 21st, through Facebook, Hong said, "The essence of the issue should be said to lie in the displeasure over requests to supplement national governance capabilities and to strictly punish corruption in the in-laws' family, which cannot be criticized. Using nomination recommendations as a pretext and having Yoon's key associates (Yoonhakkwan) portray me as an old-fashioned politician is truly despicable," he revealed.

It is known that on the 19th, during a dinner meeting with candidate Yoon, Hong requested strategic nominations for by-elections, recommending former Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Choi Jae-hyung for Seoul Jongno and former Daegu Suseong District Mayor Lee Jin-hoon for Daegu Jung and Nam districts, respectively. Regarding this, the day before, Kwon Young-se, head of the election countermeasures headquarters, said, "If you are a party leader-level figure, you should act appropriately as a leader during this critical presidential election phase."

In response, Hong pointed out, "Anyone can make suggestions about nominations, and these should be handled through reasonable procedures. If that is used as a pretext to guard the candidate's mood, how are we supposed to conduct the election during the remaining period?"

Regarding former Chairman Choi, whom he recommended for the Jongno strategic nomination, Hong also criticized, "It is equally pitiful that someone who was nominated without prior consultation for their own sake is instead being used as a tool to criticize me." After a meeting with candidate Yoon the previous day, former Chairman Choi explained, "There was no prior discussion about running in Jongno," adding, "(Hong) has been in politics for a long time, so he must have had some thoughts."

Hong emphasized, "Uncomfortable truths do not disappear by avoidance," and "The people and party members are not fools."