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| Liberty Korea Party Chairman Hong Joon-pyo is absorbed in thought with his eyes closed, during a party meeting in Seoul, Monday. / Yonhap |
By Choi Ha-young
Hong Joon-pyo, outspoken chairman of the Liberty Korea Party (LKP), has decided not to show up at his party members' campaigns for local elections, amid growing hostility against him within the party and the public.
"I decided not to do a stumping tour from tomorrow," Hong said on Facebook, Sunday. "As I take part in the campaigns, voters tend to view this election as a popularity vote between President Moon Jae-in and me. I thought it would be hard to defeat the dominant popularity of Moon."
He urged voters to cast their ballots by evaluating each candidate, rather than the parties they belong to, indirectly acknowledging the poor public support for his party.
Hong's decision is largely attributable to increasing opposition from his own party members. When he joined campaign trails in the southern city of Busan, Friday, the party's candidates held separate election campaigns, rather than welcoming Hong on his visit.
He also had to leave the campaign location earlier than planned, because his voice couldn't be heard over drivers honking in protest of him.
This is in stark contrast to ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairwoman Choo Mi-ae and other DPK leaders whose election trail schedules all over the country have been hectic, in an effort to follow up a victory for the mayoral and gubernatorial elections slated for June 13.
Rep. Min Byung-doo of the DPK ridiculed Hong, calling his decision not to participate in campaigns a "forced vacation."
"Because nobody wants him, Hong should remain idle for the next 10 days," Min said on Facebook. "The only thing he will do is post on Facebook."
The widespread antipathy toward Hong is largely due to his hawkish stance against North Korea. While President Moon's peace overture has pushed his public support over 70 percent, Hong has been obsessed with anti-North Korea sentiment and continued an outdated ideological offensive.
On Monday, he said the ongoing summit diplomacy was the "worst scenario" caused by the "fantasy of nationalism."
"I feel tearfully sorry for my children and grandchildren, who will be enslaved by North Korea's nuclear weapons," Hong said on Facebook.
"President Donald Trump, who considers diplomacy as a business, seems no more interested in ditching nuclear weapons. He is expected to pull out of inter-Korean affairs, as wished for by the pro-Pyongyang leftist government of South Korea."
Hong is at odds with not only party members and citizens but also pollsters. He claimed pollsters fabricate the opinion survey outcomes in favor of the ruling DPK. For one survey conducted by Realmeter, he said the sample group of the respondents was "biased" citing the group included 400 pro-Moon respondents, while only 200 pro-Hong ones were included.
Realmeter then refuted the claim in a press statement, Monday. "Hong's argument ignores the changing political landscape, which became unfavorable to him," the pollster said.
The party leader under internal and external troubles is highly expected to quit the post after the local elections, because he may have to take responsibility for the poor election outcomes. Hong has vowed to win nine mayoral and gubernatorial posts ― apparently an impossible goal.
Amid the meager presence of the party, the LKP's anti-Hong faction lawmakers have raised their voices against him. According to Realmeter's opinion survey issued Monday, the DPK gained a 52.2 percent support rate, far ahead of the LKP's 19.8 percent.
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