Han Dong-hoon targets Hong Joon-pyo over support for Kim Boo-kyum: "Deserter Hong Joon-pyo has finally surrendered"

According to The Financial News, Han Dong-hoon, former leader of the People Power Party (PPP), has criticized former Mayor of Daegu Hong Joon-pyo after Hong expressed his support for former prime minister Kim Boo-kyum as the next Mayor of Daegu.
On the 5th, Han wrote on his Facebook page, "Deserter Hong Joon-pyo has finally surrendered."
Earlier, the former mayor had made clear that he supports former prime minister Kim Boo-kyum.
On the 2nd, Hong wrote on his Facebook page, "I mentioned former prime minister Kim because I hope the next Mayor of Daegu will be competent and able to work with the central government," adding, "Please understand that I am not supporting the Democratic Party, but supporting Kim Boo-kyum."
He went on, "A metropolitan mayor is an administrator, not a brawler," stressing, "If it benefits Daegu, we should look beyond party lines and choose a capable administrator, not a political brawler."
After criticism of Hong spread within the conservative camp, he responded again on Facebook on the 5th, writing, "I expressed support for Kim Boo-kyum, and now the PPP sparrows are making a fuss," and, "I support Kim Boo-kyum for the sake of Daegu's future."
He added, "What business is it of yours how the ex-husband you kicked out is living now? You should have treated him better when you had him."
Han then captured Hong's post and shared it on his own Facebook page, criticizing, "And now he's lying again. He shook off the hands trying to hold him back and deserted of his own accord; he was never kicked out."
Han also shared news articles from last year reporting that the People Power Party (PPP) formed and dispatched a "Hawaii delegation" to persuade Hong, who was then staying in Hawaii, to join its election campaign committee, and that the delegation met him there to urge him to come on board.
At the time, the PPP hurriedly sent the Hawaii delegation to persuade Hong to join the campaign committee, but Hong tried to dissuade them, saying he had told the delegation not to come. The delegation nevertheless went ahead with the meeting, and Hong was reported to have said that he "supports candidate Kim Moon-soo and wishes for Kim Moon-soo's victory."
Meanwhile, on the 3rd, the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) nominated former prime minister Kim Boo-kyum as its candidate for Mayor of Daegu.
Kim Boo-kyum previously served three terms as a lawmaker representing Gunpo. He ran in the 19th general election in the Daegu Suseong A constituency, considered one of the toughest districts for the Democratic Party, but was defeated, and he also lost the 2014 local election for Mayor of Daegu. In the 20th general election, however, he became the first candidate from a progressive party in 31 years to win a seat in Daegu.
In the 21st general election, Kim failed to win re-election in his constituency. He later served in the Moon Jae-in administration as interior and safety minister and as Prime Minister of South Korea.
newssu@fnnews.com Reporter Kim Su-yeon Reporter