Kim Yongtae Appeals to Hong Junpyo: "Please Be the Cornerstone in Rebuilding Conservatism"

An Appeal to Former Daegu Mayor Hong Junpyo on Facebook
"I Agree with Your Call to Restore Authentic Conservatism"
"Let Us Move Forward Together for a Presidential Victory"

Kim Yongtae, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, appealed to former Daegu Mayor Hong Junpyo, saying, "Please become an unwavering cornerstone in the journey to rebuild conservatism."

On May 16, Kim wrote on Facebook, "I fully agree with former Chairman Hong's call to restore authentic conservatism," adding, "There is a desperate need for a working conservatism and a responsible conservatism, which have been the pillars of national security and economic development."

Kim Yongtae, Co-Chairman of the People Power Party's Joint Election Countermeasures Committee, is giving a greeting speech at the 21st Presidential Election Policy Proposal Delivery Ceremony of the Korea Teachers Union held at the Central Party Office in Yeouido, Seoul on May 15, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

He continued, "I ask you to start now, not after the election, with your painful words and vision, and to move forward together for a presidential victory," and added, "If the house is truly beyond repair, then we can rebuild it on the same spot."

Previously, former Mayor Hong posted on Facebook, "Whenever I came home late in the evening after working in the fields, the ones who lazed around all day and did nothing always ended up occupying the main room of the house."

Former Daegu Mayor Hong Junpyo. Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers

He said, "This party's authentic conservatism ended when Chairman Lee Hoi-chang retired from politics," and continued, "Since then, pseudo-conservatives have gathered, falsely claiming authentic conservatism with all sorts of flowery words and blinding the public. Those were the years we endured." He went on to argue, "Now, even the party's platform and policies have been transformed into left-wing policies."

Former Mayor Hong stated that after this presidential election, Korea's authentic conservatism would need to completely overhaul the existing order and create a new one. He emphasized, "Just as the Tory Party, which represented the British establishment, collapsed and the Conservative Party newly emerged, unless the order changes, there is no way for the Korean conservative camp to survive."