Yoon Seok-yeol's Final Campaign Rally Also a 'One Team' Failure? ... Hong Joon-pyo Suggests Nonattendance

Yoon Planning One Team at Finale Campaign Rally
Hong Joon-pyo Announces Absence: "Health Checkup Tomorrow"

Won Hee-ryong (from left), Yoo Seung-min, Yoon Seok-youl, and Hong Joon-pyo, the People Power Party presidential primary candidates, raise their hands to greet before the final candidate announcement at the People Power Party convention held on the 5th at the Baekbeom Kim Koo Memorial Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, is planning a 'One-team' rally with primary candidates together at the 'finale rally' on the eve of the presidential election, but it is known that Hong Joon-pyo, a member of the People Power Party, will not attend.

On the 7th, the People Power Party's election headquarters announced that Candidate Yoon is scheduled to hold his final rally in front of Seoul City Hall Plaza on the 8th, the day before the election, following stops in Jeju, Busan, Daegu, and Daejeon.

The People Power Party plans a One-team rally at the finale rally, featuring Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party and former presidential candidate, Hong Joon-pyo, a primary candidate, and former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min. A People Power Party official said in a phone call that day, "We are planning a format where all primary candidates, including Hong, participate together under the One-team principle."

However, while Ahn and Yoo expressed their intention to attend the rally, it was confirmed that Hong does not plan to participate. In a text message to this reporter that day, when asked, "Will you attend the finale rally tomorrow?" Hong replied, "I have a health check-up tomorrow," implying his absence.

Accordingly, the 'complete One-team' that Candidate Yoon is planning is unlikely to be realized until the end. Previously, after the primary, Candidate Yoon repeatedly requested a One-team from Hong, but he showed discomfort and later joined the campaign headquarters as a standing adviser in January. At the Suwon rally on the 24th of last month, which was announced to be attended by both Hong and Yoo, neither showed up, leading to criticism of an 'incomplete One-team.'