Hong Junpyo: "No Matter Who Takes Power, My Country Will Not Be Further Ruined"

"This Is My First Time Not Participating in a Presidential Election"
"I Will Leave Behind the Self-Reproach of My Political Life in the Pacific Ocean and Return Home"

Hong Junpyo, former mayor of Daegu, stated, "No matter who comes to power, my country, which now has a perfectly established system, will no longer be ruined."

On June 2, Hong wrote on his Facebook account, "It is truly heartbreaking to see what is happening in my country across the Pacific Ocean," expressing these sentiments.

Hong Junpyo, former mayor of Daegu.

He revealed that this is the first time since becoming an adult that he has not participated in a presidential election. He added, "In his later years, President Kim Jongpil called politics a vain pursuit," and said that he now feels the same way.

Hong Junpyo said he would leave behind the sense of self-reproach from his 30-year political career in the Pacific Ocean and return home with a lighter heart, indicating his intention to return to Korea immediately after the presidential election.

After losing in the People Power Party’s presidential primary, Hong Junpyo left the party and has been staying in Kona, Hawaii, United States. He claimed that after the presidential election, it would be difficult for the People Power Party to continue to exist and that a major realignment of the conservative bloc would take place. Presidential candidate Kim Moonsu tried to persuade Hong Junpyo to join his campaign team by dispatching a special delegation, but Hong, while expressing clear support for Kim, declined the offer, saying that having left the party, he had no justification to join.