Hong Joon-pyo "Why am I the only one prohibited from running in my hometown?"

Hong Joon-pyo, former leader of the Liberty Korea Party, announced his intention to run for the local constituency at a press conference held at the Haman County Office on the 20th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Shinwon Yoon] Hong Joon-pyo, former leader of the Liberty Korea Party, who declared his candidacy for the 21st National Assembly election in Miryang, Uiryeong, Haman, and Changnyeong, lamented on the 20th, "Most candidates run in their hometowns, so why am I the only one who is not allowed to run?"

On this day, former leader Hong made this remark during a press conference held at Haman County Office, where he announced his intention to run in the district.

Hong said, "I have served four terms as a lawmaker in other regions such as Songpa and Dongdaemun in Seoul, and I want to finish my last term in my hometown, but there is a lot of talk about my candidacy," adding, "Is there any lawmaker who runs in a district that is not their hometown? This does not make sense."

Regarding opinions urging him to reconsider his candidacy, he said, "I do not consider those preparing for the nomination in the same electoral district as my competitors, but whoever receives the nomination, it is right to conduct the election centered on that person," and added, "If the party's nomination management committee conducts a fair process for the nomination, I will accept the result. I am not asking for special treatment because I was the party leader, but I ask for a fair evaluation."

He also expressed his intention to run for the next presidential election, saying, "The PK region (Busan, Ulsan, Gyeongnam), where 8.4 million people live, is a key strategic area in the 2022 presidential election, but it seems the central party is overlooking it," and "The votes in Bu-Ul-Gyeong determine the direction of the regime, but there is no central figure here, so I returned to Gyeongnam to build that foundation."

Regarding his visit to Haman first among the electoral districts, he explained, "I just visited because it is close to the highway coming down from Seoul; there is no other intention."

Former leader Hong stated, "I plan to move to areas with electoral districts such as Miryang or Changnyeong around February."

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