Hong Jun-pyo "Na Dong-yeon Asked Me to Run"... Na Dong-yeon "Just a Kind Word"

Former Liberty Korea Party Leader Hong Joon-pyo [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Former Liberty Korea Party leader Hong Joon-pyo criticized former Yangsan Mayor Na Dong-yeon, who took the nomination interview for Gyeongnam Yangsan-eul, on the 4th, saying, "After experiencing Mayor Na's case, people have become scary." Former Mayor Na said, "Whether it was a twist of fate or what, we somehow ended up competing against each other," he said.

On the same day, Hong posted on his Facebook, "When I left my hometown and moved to the tough electoral district of Yangsan-eul in Gyeongnam, the reason behind that decision was partly because Kim Hyung-o, the Future United Party's nomination management committee chairman, came down to Miryang and strongly insisted that I could not run in my hometown, but also because since early January, I had been continuously receiving requests from former Mayor Na to run in Yangsan-eul," he said.

He said, "Trusting only former Mayor Na, I came down to Yangsan-eul and was preparing for the election battle against Kim Doo-kwan, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, but former Mayor Na, who used to visit the office daily to discuss election strategies, suddenly stopped coming three days ago," adding, "Soon after, an additional call for applications for Yangsan-eul appeared on the party's website, and upon checking, I found out that the Nomination Management Committee was persuading former Mayor Na to respond to the additional call."

Hong said, "At first, former Mayor Na kept refusing to apply, taking an ambiguous stance considering our relationship, but when it seemed there would be no by-election for Yangsan Mayor, he appeared to start considering running for the National Assembly."

He added, "Chairman Kim called me and said that if I did not persuade former Mayor Na to respond to the additional call, I would be cut off (excluded from nomination) and told to compete in the primary," and "I had no choice but to comply, so I had to accept former Mayor Na's response to the additional call."

Meanwhile, Hong said, "Former Mayor Na had always publicly declared to citizens that he would run for Yangsan Mayor if the Supreme Court ruled on the election law violation case, and even asked me to request the Supreme Court," adding, "I have been in politics for 25 years, but this is the first time I have experienced such a case."

Former Yangsan Mayor Na Dong-yeon is being interviewed by reporters after completing the Future United Party's nomination committee interview held at the National Assembly on the afternoon of the 2nd.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

In response, former Mayor Na posted on his Facebook the same day, saying, "It seems a bit harsh to say that I was the one who made Hong come to Yangsan when I only said it as a kind word."

He countered Hong, saying, "Didn’t you know that I refused to apply for the additional nomination until the end to uphold the ethics of politics and told the Nomination Management Committee that whoever is nominated, I would lead the effort to get them elected?"

He continued, "When we met as governor and mayor, we had a very good relationship, but politics is really something," and added, "Still, I love Hong Joon-pyo until the end."

In response, Hong posted another message on his Facebook, saying, "Former Mayor Na said that urging me to come to Yangsan was just a kind word," and added, "Kind words are something a superior says to a subordinate. It is a very insulting remark."

He said, "Do you make kind words not just once or twice but frequently by phone?" and "Politics is about discarding people in an instant. Koreans never forgive betrayers."

Hong further posted on Facebook, "I have been a sharpshooter for the party for 25 years, running in tough districts five times as requested by the party. I even resigned midway as governor of Gyeongnam to prevent the party’s collapse just before the impeachment led to the party’s extinction, and ran in a hopeless presidential election to save the party," adding, "Even Kim Doo-kwan is overwhelmed, so I would appreciate a clear explanation as to why I have to go through such hardship."

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