Park Jeonghun on Hong Junpyo's "Presidential Bid Hint": "No Sincerity, Only Greed"

Park Jung-hoon "Was There Any Content in Hong Joon-pyo's Post That Showed Concern for the Country?"

Park Jung-hoon, a member of the People Power Party, criticized Daegu Mayor Hong Jun-pyo, saying, "He has declared himself emotionally detached from Daegu city administration, so he is truly hopeless (meaning there is no answer)."

Park Jung-hoon, member of the People Power Party. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On the 23rd, Park said on his Facebook, "He called those who supported the impeachment 'disciplinary subjects,' and now he is already emotionally excited, treating the acceptance of the impeachment as a foregone conclusion." He added, "It is truly regrettable that because of such a person, who has no sincerity and is full of selfish ambition, we appear shabby. Was there even a single line in Mayor Hong's writing that showed concern for the country?"

He continued, "What our party must do now is to reflect deeply and prepare for a new future," emphasizing, "Only then can we shed the stigma of being the 'party that supported martial law.' I will no longer stand by and watch selfish ambition consume our party."

Earlier, Mayor Hong wrote on his Facebook, "A nomad life," saying, "Daegu is the 23rd place I have moved to since I was born. I thought I had come full circle back to my original place, but the thought of having to move again makes the end of the year unsettling." He added, "I was compressively pushing forward Daegu Innovation 100 Plus 1 with the mindset that I would only serve as Daegu mayor for four years and then graduate, but now I feel the period might be shorter, which makes me anxious. After all, elected positions are just passing winds."

Hong Joon-pyo, Mayor of Daegu. Photo by Yonhap News

In an urgent interview published in the January 2025 issue of Monthly Chosun on the 18th, Mayor Hong also effectively confirmed his early presidential bid by saying, "Most people probably know that I will run for president again anyway." In the interview, he emphasized, "Because I have experience running in the 'impeachment election' during Park Geun-hye's impeachment, I am ultimately the only one with such experience." Mayor Hong ran as the Liberty Korea Party (the predecessor of the People Power Party) candidate in the 2017 presidential election held after the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye, receiving 24% of the vote.