Hongki Lee, Geochang County Governor Candidate, Announces "Independent Candidacy"

The People Power Party's Nomination Fiasco Is an Insult to Residents...
"I Will Return Victorious"

Hongki Lee, the independent candidate for Geochang County governor, held a press conference at 11 a.m. on the 14th in the briefing room of Geochang County Office. He officially declared his independent candidacy following the People Power Party's decision not to nominate a candidate, strongly criticized the party, and expressed his determination to win in the general election.

At the press conference, Lee stated, "The People Power Party's Central Nomination Management Committee's decision not to nominate a candidate was essentially an act of forcing me to leave the party." He continued, "Despite the support of county residents and party members, the party ultimately failed to put forth a candidate, which amounts to the abandonment of responsibility by a political party and an insult to the people of Geochang."

[Photo by Choi Soonkyung] Honggi Lee, independent candidate and Mayor of Geochang County, held a press conference at 11 a.m. on the 14th in the briefing room of Geochang County Office. He officially declared his independent run following the People Power Party's decision not to nominate a candidate, delivering strong criticism and expressing his determination to win the main election.

He further criticized, "From start to finish, I demanded a fair competition and a reasonable nomination process. However, the Gyeongnam Provincial Nomination Committee concealed the results of the opinion polls and repeatedly made decisions that appeared to favor a specific candidate. Fairness has collapsed, common sense has been trampled on, and now words like 'backroom deals' and 'nomination manipulation' are circulating within the local community."

He also argued, "I was excluded from the primary based solely on the claims of a rival candidate, and a re-primary was forced even before the court had made any decision. The central party, after much confusion, ultimately made the unprecedented decision not to nominate a candidate right before the registration deadline. In the end, only the residents of Geochang were thoroughly disregarded."

Lee emphasized, "The true owners of Geochang are not political powers or particular factions, but the county residents." He stressed, "We must change the outdated political structure that ignores public sentiment and seeks to rule while hiding behind the banner of a particular party."

He added, "Although I am running as an independent in name only, my heart still belongs to the People Power Party. I will return as a victor with the support of party members and county residents."

He concluded, "This election is not merely about personal victory or defeat, but about restoring common sense and justice that have collapsed. I will devote all my efforts to achieving great unity among the county residents and ushering in a new future for Geochang over the next 30 years."

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