Retired Politician Hong Junpyo in Hawaii Says "My Tightly Closed Heart... Feels Open After One Night"

"After a good night's sleep, I think I'll soon adjust to the time difference"

Hong Junpyo, the former Daegu mayor who retired from politics, expressed his feelings from Kona, Hawaii, saying, "I feel as if my tightly closed heart has finally opened up."

On May 12, Hong posted on Facebook, "This is the Pacific Ocean off Kona on the Big Island, as seen from the veranda," sharing a photo of the view from his accommodation.

Former Daegu Mayor Hong Junpyo.

He added, "The wide-open horizon is helping to open up my previously closed heart," and continued, "After a good night's sleep, I think I'll soon adjust to the time difference."

Previously, Hong had been confident of winning the ruling party primary for the 21st presidential election, but after failing to reach the runoff, he declared, "I will no longer be involved in politics. I will return to private life and live more comfortably," announcing both his departure from the People Power Party, where he had served for 30 years, and his retirement from politics.

When the People Power Party leadership appeared to be supporting former Prime Minister Han Ducksoo as a unified candidate, Hong, who had remained silent, criticized the move, stating, "All of this is a scheme orchestrated by the faction surrounding former President Yoon Sukyeol," and went on to defend candidate Kim Moonsoo. On May 11, after the attempt to replace the party's presidential candidate was rejected by a party member vote, he wrote "Justice prevails in the end" on Facebook. He further criticized, "Those behind Han Ducksoo should also retire from politics. Han Ducksoo ended his 50-year bureaucratic career in disgrace," and added, "Those who don't even understand the basics of party politics should all disappear." He also called for the resignation of the so-called "Double Kwon" group (Emergency Committee Chair Kwon Youngse and Floor Leader Kwon Seongdong), who had led the effort to replace candidate Kim Moonsoo with Han Ducksoo.

On May 10, at Incheon International Airport, Hong told candidate Lee Junseok, who had come to see him off, "This presidential race will come down to a two-way contest," and added, "Lee Jaemyung and Lee Junseok should both do their best."