Hong Jun-pyo directly attacks Lee Jun-seok... "Exercise restraint and postpone for the future"

On the 6th, Raised Criticism of Lee Jun-seok via Personal Facebook
"If You Continue to Confuse the Party, It's Nothing but Stirring Up Trouble"

On the morning of May 6th, at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul, Hong Jun-pyo, then the Daegu mayoral candidate, received a nomination certificate from party leader Lee Jun-seok at the People Power Party's 8th Nationwide Simultaneous Local Elections Central Election Committee Launch Ceremony and Metropolitan Mayor Nomination Certificate Award Ceremony. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Geum Bo-ryeong] Hong Joon-pyo, the mayor of Daegu, raised his voice telling Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party, to "exercise restraint."

On the 6th, Mayor Hong stated on his Facebook, "The procedural defects have been remedied, and even if a provisional injunction is filed, it seems useless now that the party constitution has been lawfully amended," adding, "Exercise restraint and wait for a later opportunity."

He continued, "If you continue to cause confusion within the party, that is nothing but stirring up trouble," emphasizing, "A true leader must know when to advance and when to stop."

These remarks by Mayor Hong are interpreted as directed at Lee. The previous day, Mayor Hong also said, "It has already become politically difficult for Lee to return as party leader. I told him to exercise restraint and focus solely on judicial procedures, but his inability to endure and his extreme verbal responses to every issue were a grave mistake," adding, "As a party leader, one should prioritize the regime and the country's stability over personal safety, but his current behavior can only be seen as heading towards reckless politics. I have tried various ways to mediate from Lee’s perspective, but after seeing his recent responses, I have decided to stop."

Earlier, Lee had hinted at legal responses such as provisional injunctions against the People Power Party’s Standing National Committee’s approval of the transition to an Emergency Response Committee system. Lee said, "Lately, when people talk about an honorable conclusion, I always talk about a conclusion without regrets," adding, "And I hope that such a conclusion without regrets will ultimately be honorable and serve as a healthy warning to the party and the nation. Since there are still five years left, it is not that I, Lee Jun-seok, am avoiding it, but precisely because there are five years left, it must be corrected early."

Forty members attended the Standing National Committee meeting, of whom 29 agreed that it was an "emergency situation." Along with this, a party constitution amendment expanding the authority to appoint the Emergency Response Committee chairman to the "acting party leader" was also passed at the Standing National Committee. If the party constitution amendment and the appointment of the Emergency Response Committee chairman proceed at the National Committee meeting on the 9th, the People Power Party’s Emergency Response Committee system is expected to officially begin.