Hong Joon-pyo, a former mayor of Daegu who had been staying in Hawaii after being eliminated from the People Power Party’s presidential candidate primary, returned to Korea on the afternoon of the 17th through Incheon International Airport. Wearing a red shirt, Hong appeared in the arrivals area and bowed his head in greeting as he said, “I hope the country stabilizes quickly.”
Hong noted, “The new government has been established, and I hope they don’t seek political revenge, and that the country stabilizes through national unity.”
Regarding the request for the dissolution of the People Power Party as an unconstitutional party, Hong reaffirmed his previous position, stating, “I already mentioned during the presidential candidate primary that if we lose the election, we will face a request for the dissolution of the unconstitutional party.” When asked if he aims for reinstatement on the premise of the party's dissolution, he replied, “I already revealed that a month ago, and I discussed it with Representative Kim Dae-sik in Hawaii, stating that if we lose the presidential election, the dissolution of the unconstitutional party will be unavoidable.”
Hong, who had previously stated that his stay in Hawaii was “a time to think about what I can do for the country,” was reserved when asked about his future political movements, saying, “I will talk about it gradually.” He left the scene without providing any substantial answers regarding the possibility of founding a new party.
Earlier, shortly after being eliminated from the presidential primary in April, Hong declared his withdrawal from politics and left for Hawaii on the 10th of last month, staying for 38 days. Even during his stay, he continued to deliver political messages, criticizing the leadership of the People Power Party through his online communication channel, “Dream of Youth,” and Facebook.
In particular, when a supporter requested, “I hope that when you return to politics, it will be a new party centered around Hong (Hong Joon-pyo),” Hong responded, “Understood,” which has led to interpretations regarding the possibility of founding a new party.