Hong Joon-pyo: "Term Shortening Declared... Normal Presidential Election Impossible"
"Preparing for Presidential Election Without Party Support After Mid-March"
If Kim Moon-soo Runs, "Can Avoid the Image of an Old-Fashioned Person"
Hong Joon-pyo, the mayor of Daegu and a leading presidential candidate within the ruling party, reportedly stated that "regardless of the outcome, an early presidential election is inevitable" regarding the impeachment trial of President Yoon Seok-yeol. Yonhap News reported, "At a meeting with reporters on the 14th, Mayor Hong said, 'The president has already made a promise,' and added, 'He has already declared a shortened term, making a normal presidential election impossible.'
The image shows President Yoon Seok-yeol, who was a candidate in the 2021 People Power Party presidential primary, and Hong Joon-pyo, Mayor of Daegu. Photo by Asia Economy
Earlier, on the 25th of last month, President Yoon said in his final statement during the impeachment trial, “If constitutional amendments and political reforms are properly pursued, the divided and fractured people will be unified in the process,” and added, “I will not cling to the remaining term but will consider constitutional amendments and political reform as my final mission and do my best to improve the 1987 system.” This implied a push for a term-shortening constitutional amendment upon returning to office.
Mayor Hong stated, "No matter how the impeachment concludes, in the worst-case scenario, after mid-March, our team will complete preparations to run the next presidential election without party support." He continued, "If the election is fought on the regime change theory or regime extension theory as polled by the media, it will be a total defeat," and said, "(I) will not run in the next presidential election under the 'regime change' or 'regime extension' frame."
He also criticized Han Dong-hoon, former leader of the People Power Party. Mayor Hong said, "I consider him a despicable person, so he is not worth mentioning," and added, "Once you fall into the traitor frame, it's over. He is worse than Yoo Seung-min." Regarding another presidential candidate, Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moon-soo, he said, "It would be good if he runs," and added, "He is three years older than me, so I avoid being labeled a 'kkondae' (old-fashioned person) and also avoid the image of a hardline conservative."
Regarding Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who is entangled in judicial risks, he said, "The constitutional privilege of non-prosecution means that one cannot be prosecuted, but it does not mean a privilege to halt trials," and argued, "If he becomes president and is convicted by the Supreme Court, he will be ousted on that date."
He said, "(The issue in the impeachment trial) is that it does not constitute treason, but the problem is the violation of the Martial Law Act," and added, "Prime Minister Han Duck-soo testified at the Constitutional Court that it was a meeting, not a Cabinet meeting, and if we quote Prime Minister Han’s words, it becomes a serious constitutional procedure violation." He further predicted, "Regarding the violation of the Martial Law Act, the focus of discussion among the Constitutional Court justices will likely be on whether it is enough to warrant dismissal."
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