Hong Joon-pyo "If Lee Jun-seok is ousted, we will lose the presidential election... Kim Jong-in is someone who only works in the analog era"

Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party, and lawmaker Hong Joon-pyo (from left). / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Hong Joon-pyo, a member of the People Power Party, firmly stated that "If we oust Representative Lee Jun-seok, we will lose the presidential election," in response to some supporters' calls to expel Lee Jun-seok.

On the 16th, Hong responded on the platform 'Youth's Dream,' where young people post questions and receive answers, to a question asking, "There is a growing impeachment sentiment against Representative Lee Jun-seok within the People Power Party. What do you think about this?"

He had previously described Lee as a "smart and clear-headed young man" in response to a question about how he viewed the representative.

On the other hand, Hong harshly criticized former People Power Party emergency committee chairman Kim Jong-in, calling him "someone who only fits in the analog era." Regarding his friendship with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, he said, "We get along well," and about Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People Party, he replied, "The good friend."

Meanwhile, in response to supporters' posts expressing hope that he would run again in the 2027 21st presidential election, Hong left replies such as "I will consider it," "I will take one more step before going to sleep," and "I will do it until the end," leading some to interpret this as a sign of his intention to run again.

In particular, to a post stating, "Even U.S. President Biden is serving at age 80, so Hong can run for president again," Hong commented, "Age is just a number," and when a supporter advised, "Please take care of your health for the next presidential run," he said, "I will exercise diligently."

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