Hong Jun-pyo Announces Retirement from Politics Right After Losing Primary… "I Will Return as a Citizen and Live Comfortably"

Hong Jun-pyo, the Mayor of Daegu, officially declared his retirement from politics immediately after losing the primary for the People's Power presidential nomination. He stated, "I will return as a citizen. I will go back to being a private individual and live more comfortably."

On the 29th, shortly after the announcement of the second primary results held at the People's Power headquarters in Yeouido, Candidate Hong said, "Dear respected citizens, fellow party members. With your care over the past 30 years, I have successfully and cleanly opened my political life, and I have now graduated," and added, "Thank you very much. My role in this presidential election ends here."

With the primary results showing that Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moon-soo and former Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon advanced to the finals, Candidate Hong was eliminated along with lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo.

"I Tried Three Times, But There is No More Capacity"

Before the primary results were announced, Candidate Hong made a significant remark. He said, "This was my third challenge as a presidential candidate. I lost once in popular sentiment and once in party sentiment. Since it is the third round, I thought that I might no longer have the capacity to go further."

Candidate Hong completed the 2017 presidential election as the nominee of the Liberty Korea Party and lost to former President Yoon Seok-youl in the 2021 People's Power primary. There have been ongoing speculations that this primary would be his last challenge.

"Let's Make Han Duck-soo Join and Conduct a One-Shot Final"… He Left a Suggestion

Candidate Hong also criticized the primary system on that day. He remarked, "If I had advanced to the finals, I wanted to make this suggestion: to have Han Duck-soo, the acting president, join the party and suggest to end with a one-shot national primary today."

He continued, "Up to now, eight candidates have participated, but having the winner of the finals compete again with Candidate Han Duck-soo is contrary to the principles of the primary."

Candidate Hong's declaration of retirement from politics leaves a lingering impression. He has long been regarded as a 'reformist elder' in the conservative camp, but recent analyses suggest that his support within the party has weakened. With this primary, he effectively concludes a 30-year political journey.

Image source: youtube 'People's Power TV', News1