Members of the National Assembly who played key roles in the presidential campaign of former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo declared their support for candidate Kim Moon-soo, who advanced to the third round of the primary just one day after the cutoff for the second round on the 30th, and joined the campaign.
People Power Party lawmakers Yoo Sang-beom, Kim Dae-sik, Baek Jong-heon, and Kim Wi-sang declared their support for Kim at his campaign office on the morning of that day. They were key players who served as the overall situation headquarters chief, candidate secretary general, health and welfare headquarters chief, and labor headquarters chief, respectively, in Hong's campaign.
They noted that they support candidate Kim because, along with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, they can most actively promote a 'big tent' to oppose Lee Jae-myung.
Yoo said, "After Hong's defeat yesterday, everyone gathered to express their support for candidate Kim."
He added, "These days, the People Power Party seems to be facing foreign enemies with just 12 ships. Just as General Yi Sun-sin used the Uldolmok to defeat foreign invaders, candidate Kim is ultimately advocating for a unification big tent, and I agree that this is the only victory equation for conservative candidates."
Yoon Sang-hyun of Kim's campaign said, "The background for the swift decision by those from Hong's camp is that candidate Kim and candidate Hong share the same values, beliefs, and goals," adding, "This presidential election is not just a change of power but a war to defend the Republic of Korea's system, and both the Kim and Hong camps are in a simultaneous stance on defending the system."
He continued, "Through an anti-Lee (anti-Lee Jae-myung) coalition, we will unite the forces of conscience in liberal democracy to surely defeat Lee Jae-myung's Democratic Party and restore the Republic of Korea."
In addition, Lee Yeong-soo, chairman of the Central Committee of the New Future Group, Kim Sun-dong, a former lawmaker who served as the overall organization headquarters chief, and Jo Kwang-han, a former mayor of Namyangju, along with 53 other regional party organizations, also declared support for candidate Kim.
Candidate Kim expressed his feelings about former Mayor Hong's declaration of retirement from politics, saying, "I have never faced him before, and it happened this time. Listening to his announcement of retirement made me recall our 30 years of political journey, and I felt really sad and personally regrettable. I also thought that if I hadn't run, Hong might have done well."
Regarding the joining of lawmakers such as Yoo, he stated, "While I am very happy, thinking of candidate Hong, I realize I have much to do," and expressed his gratitude by saying, "I will take the good intentions that candidate Hong had and make them a reality."
With many officials from Hong's campaign who were eliminated in the second round joining, the party's support for candidate Hong is likely to shift to candidate Kim. In the third round of the primary, the positions of supporters for and against impeachment are expected to be sharply divided.