Hong Jun-pyo "I am an Outsider of Korean Conservative Forces"
"I hope the outsider breaks the entrenched interests of Korean society
and creates a truly advanced nation era"
Hong Joon-pyo, the mayor of Daegu, referred to himself as an "outsider of Korean conservatism" and stated, "I expect that an outsider can break the established framework of vested interests in Korean society and create a truly advanced nation era."
On the 20th, Mayor Hong recalled on his Facebook, "When I was the leader of the Liberty Korea Party in October 2017, an executive from a media company visited and said to me, 'This impeachment election won't succeed, so the opportunity to be a candidate came to you; if it was going to succeed, would it have gone to you?' Hearing that, I was deeply shocked." He added, "Even though I had been part of conservative parties for many years, I was just an outsider of the Korean conservative forces, and that statement shocked me."
He continued, "The idea that only those from elite families can become leaders of the conservative forces also appeared in the presidential primary four years later. It was a strange primary where the popular vote won but the party vote lost," referring to the 2021 presidential primary when candidate Hong Joon-pyo led in general public polls but lost to candidate Yoon Seok-youl in the responsible party member vote, thus giving up the presidential candidacy.
Mayor Hong said, "But Reagan and Thatcher were also outsiders of conservative parties, and even Trump was an outsider of the conservative party. Why did they become leaders, and why are Korea's vested interest groups trapped in the logic of protecting vested interests, thinking outsiders cannot succeed?" He added, "That can only be seen as a difference in the maturity of democracy." He continued, "A mature democracy is a society where opportunities are open to everyone," and said, "I really envy Representative Lee Jae-myung in that regard." He then said, "However, this time will be different," adding, "Only an outsider can break the framework of vested interests in Korean society and create a truly advanced nation era. We must make the people aware of this for Korea to finally become an advanced country."
Following the passage of the impeachment motion against President Yoon Seok-youl in the National Assembly on the 14th, Mayor Hong has been continuously hinting at a presidential bid through Facebook and interviews. On the 18th, he posted on Facebook, "The Democratic Party has started to smear me as the 'loser pitcher during the Moon Jae-in administration,'" and claimed, "Surely the people will not make a criminal or a rioter president. This time will be different." This statement was interpreted as referring to his defeat as the Saenuri Party candidate in the early presidential election held in May 2017 after former President Park was impeached, implying that a different outcome could be expected in this early presidential election.
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