"To Revive Conservatism, Yoon and Han Must Be Thoroughly Held Accountable"
"Reform Is Harder Than Revolution... Can They Really Achieve It?"
Former Daegu Mayor Hong Joonpyo argued that, to prevent the collapse of the conservative bloc and to rise again, the camp must break with former President Yoon Suk Yeol and former party leader Han Donghoon and make a fresh start.
On the 12th, Hong wrote on his social media (SNS), "The two impeachments and imprisonments of conservative presidents stemmed from internal confrontation and strife within the camp," opening his remarks.
He also compared the key aides during the tenures of former President Park Geunhye and former President Yoon Suk Yeol. Hong said, "Under former President Park Geunhye, there was confrontation and infighting between Park Geunhye and Kim Moo-sung and Yoo Seungmin, and under former President Yoon Suk Yeol, there was confrontation and infighting between Yoon Suk Yeol and Han Donghoon," and pointed out that "for the conservative bloc to rise again, it will be difficult to make a comeback unless it thoroughly holds these figures accountable and thereby settles responsibility for this factional politics within the camp."
He continued, "The Democratic Party has watched these cases, so it appears that the confrontation and infighting between Lee Jaemyung and Jung Chungrae will be resolved through political maneuvering. However, in the conservative bloc, renewal must be achieved through a politics of liquidation that thoroughly questions who is responsible for its downfall; if it is handled only with half-baked compromises under the logic that 'going along is better,' there is a risk that the same thing will happen again," adding, "Even in this situation, it is truly regrettable that a tiny faction is throwing the party into confusion and even fueling arguments that the opposition is useless. Cleanly settle the past and start anew."
"Guphim will not win the local elections anyway... Can it rise again as a truly conservative force?"
Former Daegu Mayor Hong Joonpyo has been voicing concerned criticism toward the People Power Party, the party he once belonged to, and the broader conservative bloc.
On the 8th, Hong posted on his social media (SNS), asking, "Can the People Power Party, which has become a hostage to the two mercenaries (former President Yoon Suk Yeol and former People Power Party leader Han Donghoon) who destroyed the conservative camp through impeachment, purge the mercenary forces and make a comeback?" and "Can it root out the mercenary-following forces secretly operating within the party and rise again as a truly conservative party?"
Regarding the current leadership under Jang Donghyuk, he said, "Reform is harder than revolution. Can the current party leader really pull it off?" and added, "When I served as party leader in 2017, we failed to properly purge the pro-Park (pro-Park Geunhye) faction and the so-called traitors, and that failure has led to the current disastrous situation. This time, can the party really clean out the internal wrecking forces?"
He stressed, "Local elections are not important. In general elections or local elections held right after a change of government, the opposition cannot win," adding, "But setting the party on the right course is a truly urgent and important task."
In a post he uploaded immediately afterward, he reflected on his past tenure as party leader. Hong said, "Around October 2017, as party leader, I hung portraits of former Presidents Syngman Rhee, Park Chunghee, and Kim Youngsam at party headquarters. This was an expression of our determination to inherit the will of these three figures, who symbolize the founding of the nation, industrialization, and democratization, and to move forward as an advanced great power."
He went on, "Recently, the fact that a child of former President Kim Youngsam demanded that the photo be taken down is a deeply regrettable sign of how disappointed they are in the party," adding, "It is truly regrettable that today's People Power Party has failed to carry on the lineage of authentic conservatism and has degenerated into a free-for-all among a motley crew." He then remarked, "It is like watching the chaos of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period," and criticized, "The leaders have disappeared, and it has turned into a spectacle of dwarfs boasting about their height. How could one not find this lamentable?"
Recently, Kim Hyunchul, chairman of the Kim Youngsam Presidential Library and Foundation and son of the late former President Kim Youngsam, demanded that the photos of the former president hanging in the People Power Party conference room and at the party headquarters be taken down. On the 5th, Kim wrote on SNS, "The Jang Donghyuk leadership is effectively responding with silence to the demands of far-right YouTubers who are calling for a photo of Chun Doohwan to be hung," and demanded, "Looking at the People Power Party, which already claims to be the successor to the past military regimes, I ask that the photo of former President Kim, who no longer has any reason to be there, be taken down immediately."
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