Hong Joon-pyo, former mayor of Daegu, criticized the People Power Party on the 5th, saying it is "a pseudo-lemming group without ideology, pretending to be conservative, and merely a profit-seeking group."
Hong, the former mayor, stated on Facebook that day, "The party is now deeply afflicted to the point of being difficult to revive."
Hong remarked, "In 2017, amidst the chaos when support for the party plummeted to 4% due to the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye and with conservative media even calling for the party's dissolution, I stepped down as the governor of Gyeongnam and ran for president at the persuasion of interim leader In Myung-jin."
He recalled, "In the impeachment election, where defeat was certain, no one helped, and I managed to keep the party alive by spending 10 billion won less in campaign funds than candidates Moon Jae-in and Ahn Cheol-soo, securing 24% of the vote."
He continued, "Despite reviving the party, I wasn't nominated in the 21st general election, ran as an independent in the more challenging Daegu compared to Seoul, and although I was elected, I wasn't allowed to rejoin the party for over a year," pointing out the neglect and alienation within the party. He criticized, "Even after being belatedly reinstated, the party had no room to breathe as Yoon Suk-yeol, who decimated conservatism, had taken hold."
Hong also raised issues with the 2021 presidential primary. He asserted, "Starting with a 4% support rate in the presidential race, I overtook Yoon Suk-yeol in public support by over 10 percentage points in two and a half months, but lost in a fraudulent primary due to party privilege and the mobilization of groups like Shincheonji in party member votes, giving up the candidacy. Another fraudulent primary took place in collaboration with a former political prosecutor, and even trusted National Assembly members and district heads became accomplices," he claimed.
He stated, "I saw there was nothing more I could do in that party where sincerity doesn’t resonate," adding, "Now is the time to leave the party."
Hong warned, "Don’t blame me or even Lee Jun-seok, who is at least a remaining spark of conservative revival. It’s all your own doing," and cautioned that the impending ice age will be a harsh time.