Jowonjin: "Opposition Candidate Must Be Replaced, Hong Jun-pyo Is Here"... Hong: "Let's Live Long and See"

Jowonjin "Candidate Replacement Is Better Than Yoon"
Hong "Let's Live Long and See, Now Everyone Should Be United"

Hong Joon-pyo, member of the People Power Party./Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Joo-hee] Jo Won-jin, the strong pro-Park Geun-hye (Pro-Park) presidential candidate of Our Republican Party, attracted attention by claiming that the People Power Party needs to replace its presidential candidate and mentioning "Hong Joon-pyo is also an option" as an alternative.

In an interview with CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 30th, Jo said, "Honestly, I think both major parties (the Democratic Party and the People Power Party) need to replace their players. The calls for replacement are even louder for candidate Yoon," adding, "If the candidate withdraws, replacement is possible."

When the host asked, "If you replace the player, who do you think it should be?" he replied, "There is also that person at Cheongmun Hongdap, right? I will soon meet several people including Hong Joon-pyo, a member of the People Power Party. There are various alternatives, and none are worse than candidate Yoon." 'Cheongmun Hongdap' is an online platform called 'Youth's Dream' created by Representative Hong to communicate with young people. It means 'Hong Joon-pyo answers the concerns of youth,' where questions are posted and Hong personally replies.

When asked if he is communicating with Representative Hong, Jo said, "Since he is a senior, I occasionally talk with him on the phone. I told Representative Hong, 'You have said many harsh things about former President Park Geun-hye, so please stop saying those things now.' That's the extent of our communication." Representative Hong had forced the expulsion of former President Park from the Liberty Korea Party (the predecessor of the People Power Party) in 2017 when he was the party leader, causing conflict with the pro-Park faction.

Jo also commented on the pardon of former President Park, saying, "There is a high possibility that former President Park will remain silent instead of sending a message about the presidential election. If former President Park does not express her position and stays silent, wouldn't that present a very complicated issue for candidate Yoon?" He predicted, "If that happens, candidate Yoon's side will be in a very difficult position."

A photo posted by Jo Won-jin, the presidential candidate of the Our Republican Party, on the communication platform "Cheongnyeon-ui Kkum" bulletin board of Hong Joon-pyo, a member of the People Power Party, on the 29th. The phrase "Candidate replacement is the answer" is written on it. Photo by Cheongnyeon-ui Kkum capture

Jo recently posted directly on Cheongmun Hongdap. In a post titled 'Greetings from Youth's Dream, this is Jo Won-jin,' he wrote, "Let's drive out cuckoo conservatives and replace the candidate! Youth's Dream fighting! See you next week, senior Hong."

Later, a netizen posted, "Jo Won-jin also hopes for a regime change with Hong Joon-pyo," to which Representative Hong responded, "Let's live long and see." When asked if he would meet with candidate Jo, Hong avoided a direct answer by saying, "I hope we all become one now," leaving the possibility open.

Meanwhile, a poll showed that more than half of voters believe that the candidates of both the Democratic Party and the People Power Party need to be replaced in this presidential election.

According to a survey conducted by Hangil Research on 1,000 voters from the 25th to the 27th commissioned by Asia Economy, 56.6% of respondents said replacement is necessary.

In particular, 70.4% of those who identified as People Power Party supporters said candidate replacement is necessary. Among Democratic Party supporters, 35.7% responded that candidate replacement is necessary.

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