Hong Jun-pyo "Running for Miryang and Changnyeong in Gyeongnam... The Key to This Election is PK"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Former Liberty Korea Party leader Hong Joon-pyo announced on the 15th that "the key to this election is the PK (Busan, Ulsan, Gyeongnam) region" and declared his intention to run in the Gyeongnam Miryang-Changnyeong area. This directly opposed Hwang Kyo-ahn, the Korean Party leader, who had demanded senior lawmakers run in challenging districts, by expressing his intention to run in his hometown.

On the same day, during a lecture at the Busan City Hall auditorium hosted by "Youth and Future" at the 14th University Student Leadership Academy, he said, "PK has become a shaken region," and "I will run in the Gyeongnam Miryang-Changnyeong area to unite the PK sentiment in this general election."

Former leader Hong said, "The mayors of Busan and Ulsan, and the governor of Gyeongnam are all members of the Democratic Party, and 65% of the basic local government heads belong to the Democratic Party. In past elections, no one has won in the PK region without securing more than 60% of the vote," adding, "PK public opinion is the core in next year's election, but there is no pivotal politician." He also said there is no reason to go to Daegu Dong-eul, where Yoo Seung-min, chairman of the New Conservative Party's Conservative Reconstruction Committee, is located, as integration talks are underway, and stated, "I want to lead the unification of the PK region in the 2022 presidential election."

When asked about the 'challenging district candidacy' theory during a meeting with reporters after the lecture, he replied, "Whatever is said as an election strategy must make sense," and questioned, "Is there even one person who can win after moving up to Seoul? Is there even one senior Yeongnam politician who can win in Gangbuk?"

He said, "Instead of saying that, the order should be to talk about senior politicians stepping down," and expressed frustration, "Has the party ever called me, hinted at, or contacted me even once before saying such things? It's really absurd." Former leader Hong revealed that the party leadership has never contacted him since his retirement, emphasizing, "Now, suddenly, some media reports make it seem like I have talked about my candidacy location, which is ridiculous," and stressed, "I am not a dependent variable of the party but an independent variable."

When asked if he would consider running as an independent if cut off or eliminated in the primary, he responded, "No matter where a poll is conducted, I would come in first, so how could I be subject to a cut-off?" He showed a strong reaction, saying, "In 25 years of politics, I have never been obsessed with nominations. I became a member of the National Assembly not under the party's banner but with my own name, reputation, and record, so why act like I'm desperate for nominations?"

Regarding his remarks about the 2022 presidential election and his apparent focus on it, he said, "Even if I am not a (presidential) candidate, PK is a key factor in the 2022 presidential election," and emphasized, "That's why President Moon has visited PK 17 times since his inauguration. He is shaking it. Even if I am not a candidate, to channel the PK regional sentiment for the next presidential election, I have to go back to my hometown."

Former leader Hong stressed that controlling the PK region is of utmost importance. He pointed out, "Currently, there is no one in TK who is not running, but many in PK are not running because the election is difficult," and criticized, "Those in the central party have no idea about this and are now talking nonsense."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Former leader Hong said, "Yeongnam has 65 seats, and the reason the Korean Party has traditionally become the first party or a majority party in elections is because it almost swept the 65 seats in Yeongnam," and raised his voice, "Then we had at least half of Chungcheong and Gangwon, and even when pushed back in the metropolitan area, we still managed to get a majority, but now PK is shaking."

He said, "If the party leaves things as they are, nearly 10 out of 16 districts in the Gyeongnam region will be in a close race. This is unprecedented," and added, "But no one knows about this and they are talking nonsense out of nowhere. At the very least, for the party to become the ruling party, it must sweep the 65 seats. One-third of the PK region could be lost. If the central party continues as it is, it will be difficult to exceed 80 seats overall."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.