Hong Jun-pyo Says "No Party Withdrawal," Criticizes 'JjinYoon' as "A Parasite Living Off Yoon"

"When Leaving the Party, It's Like Retiring from Politics"

Hong Joon-pyo, the mayor of Daegu, drew a line by calling the rumors of his party withdrawal "absurd."

Hong Joon-pyo, Mayor of Daegu.

On the 22nd, Mayor Hong stated on Facebook, "I have been the root that has protected and revived this party for over 30 years, so talk of me leaving the party is absurd," emphasizing, "I will only leave the party when I retire from politics." He continued, "Those who drift around and then take a position, acting as if they own the party, will not last long," and questioned, "The party was once occupied by candidate Yoon Seok-yeol, which was enough. Are we supposed to be occupied again by the kid who tormented us so badly, trusting Moon Jae-in?"

Mayor Hong said, "If the party is so shameless, then dissolving it and starting anew is the way to revive Korea's traditional conservative party," expressing, "It is truly regrettable that many people cannot even understand a simple sentence." In particular, he strongly criticized, "The term 'Jjin-yoon' was coined by the media to mean ticks that parasitize on Yoon like real ticks, but ironically, only those people themselves do not understand its meaning."

Earlier, on the 20th, Mayor Hong said on his communication channel 'Youth's Dream,' "If a rookie party leader is appointed again, this party has no future, and I might decide my own course," adding, "Rather than groveling to the kid who shamelessly drove us into hell, starting fresh is the only hope." On the 21st, he harshly criticized on Facebook, "Seeing everyone grovel and praise the kid who drove us into hell made me feel the party is shameless." In political circles, the 'kid' Mayor Hong referred to is interpreted as Han Dong-hoon, former emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, whom he has criticized several times since the 22nd general election.

Because of this, Park Soo-young, a member of the People Power Party considered to be pro-Yoon, responded on the afternoon of the 21st on his personal social media, saying, "Mayor Hong, you can leave even sooner. No one will follow you." Lawyer Seo Jeong-wook, who is active as a ruling party support panelist, also criticized Mayor Hong on the same day during an appearance on Channel A radio's 'Political Signal.' He pointed out, "It is a very inappropriate act," and said, "When he talks about starting fresh, I don't understand whether he means to create his own party, join Lee Jun-seok's reform party, or go independent."