Hong Joon-pyo "Forced Again to Run in Seoul Gangbuk... An Absurd Day"

Hong Joon-pyo, former leader of the Liberty Korea Party Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Hong Joon-pyo, former leader of the Liberty Korea Party, claimed on the 20th that during the nomination interview for the United Future Party, he was forced to run in Gangbuk, Seoul instead of Yangsan, Gyeongnam, where he had tentatively agreed to run in the general election.

In a post on his Facebook on the same day, former leader Hong said, "From the time I applied for the nomination, I declared that I was applying as a regular party member," adding, "The party said my hometown Miryang was not possible and demanded I run in a difficult district, so I changed my constituency to Yangsan, a difficult district in Gyeongnam where the party had lost three consecutive elections in the last general, presidential, and local elections, and ran there."

He continued, "After being excluded from the nomination in my hometown once, I ran in a difficult district as the party requested this time. Then, Kim Hyung-oh, the chairman of the nomination management committee, told me to seek understanding from the people in my hometown and to handle the aftermath neatly, so I followed those instructions."

He said, "But today, suddenly, Professor Choi, a member of the nomination management committee, demanded again that I run in Gangbuk, Seoul, and told me to choose between running in Gangbuk or not running at all," adding, "I said that if I am cut off twice, I have no choice but to decide between retiring from politics or running as an independent."

Former leader Hong said, "My meeting with Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the United Future Party, was also canceled, and I was forced again to run in Gangbuk, which was already settled. It was truly an absurd day."

He added, "I do not expect a strategic nomination like Leader Hwang. If they decide on a public primary with the Yangsan preliminary candidates, I will gladly accept it as a regular party member," and said, "I will go down to Miryang tomorrow and wait for the party's decision."

Earlier, in another post on the same day, he said, "I already gave up running in my hometown due to the nomination management committee's demand to run in a difficult district, so being excluded once is understandable, but it is hard to imagine being excluded twice, including in Yangsan, a difficult district in Gyeongnam," adding, "If that happens, my final choice will be either retiring from politics or running as an independent."

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