Opposition leader cancels Monday’s campaign speeches for candidates

Opposition leader cancels Monday’s campaign speeches for candidates. June. 04, 2018 07:27. by Hoon-Sang Park tigermask@donga.com.
Main opposition Liberty Korea Chairman Hong Joon-pyo abruptly cancelled his election speeches in local regions on Sunday, ahead of the June 13 local elections. Some insiders and outsiders of the party claim that the situation has happened as its candidates of gubernatorial elections are feeling burden about Hong’s election speeches in support of them, a phenomenon dubbed ‘Hong Joon-pyo passing (isolation).’”

According to Liberty Korea Party officials, Hong was scheduled to tour Seoul, Gyeonggi, Gangwon and North Chungcheong regions on the day, but cancelled all the schedules the previous night. “Since the results of opinion polls conducted by the Liberty Korea Party’s Yeouido Institute have come out, the chairman is seeking to select and focus. Chairman Hong cancelled the schedules to concentrate on development of election strategy,” the party chairman’s office said.

However, some within the party say that the cancellation was affected by its candidates for major gubernatorial elections feeling burden about joint election speeches with Hong. While Hong has been taking a national tour since Thursday last week, candidates including Gyeonggi Mayor candidate Nam Kyung-pil, Busan Mayor candidate Seo Byung-soo and North Chungcheong governor candidate Lee Cheol-woo failed to show up at the sites where Hong campaigned in support of them. Watchers in the political circle say that candidates might have blocked Hong from delivering speeches as the party chairman have sparked controversy by making lewd remarks repeatedly.