Hong Joon-pyo, a candidate for the People Power Party in the 21st presidential election, emphasized on the 18th regarding whether 'the expulsion of former President Yoon Seok-youl is necessary,' saying, 'Our party candidate facilitated a change of government. He was impeached due to poor politics over the last three years, but it is not right to butcher a corpse that has lost its political life due to the impeachment.'
On that day, candidate Hong stated this during a presentation of 26 pledges in social, educational, and cultural sectors at the election office in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, with the core goal of achieving 'a just society, a healthy community.'
On the same day, Ahn Cheol-soo, who announced his candidacy for the presidential election from the same party, strongly demanded the expulsion of former President Yoon.
In response, candidate Hong remarked, 'Candidate Ahn has moved around various parties so much that it can be seen as insignificant, but since he was impeached, (former President Yoon) has become a thing of the past. Now we should focus on how to unite and create the future.'
In response to the question of whether the recent movement to establish a new party named after former President Yoon reflects his intentions, he cut in, saying, 'It is a rumor.'
Regarding accusations of excluding certain media, he stated, 'I became a celebrity through the media,' adding, 'I absolutely do not show favoritism to the media. If I become president, I will hold not only the annual press conference but also quarterly informal press meetings.'
Candidate Hong pledged through his promises that he would firmly establish the principle that 'the law protects only human rights worth protecting' and promised, 'I will reinstate the death penalty for heinous criminals.'
Candidate Hong also stated, 'No one can reign above the law,' emphasizing, 'In particular, I will eradicate criminal politicians, lawbandits (those who disguise themselves as legal professionals), law tricksters, economic offenders who disrupt economic order, and pseudo-YouTubers who spread fake news and false propaganda in the name of law and justice.'
'A war against drug crime' was also declared. Candidate Hong remarked, 'I will devise ways to eradicate our country, which has fallen to the status of a 'drug trafficking country,' to become a 'drug-free nation' again.'
Pointing out that extreme feminism and political correctness (a belief or movement that seeks to avoid prejudice or discrimination in all areas related to race, gender, disability, religion, profession, etc.) are encroaching on our community, he also presented a vision for community restoration that reconnects the dismantled society through the recovery of homes and families, termed 'consolidation of familism.'
He emphasized, 'Excessive advocacy for social minorities or specific groups poses a risk of disrupting the balance of society, so I oppose the anti-discrimination law.'
Candidate Hong continued, 'I will resolve the medical crisis by fully reviewing the plan to increase the number of physicians by 2,000, which the Yoon Seok-youl administration pursued, in consultation with doctors, and I will normalize medical services through medical reforms.'
He proposed solutions such as providing reasonable compensation to physicians through normalization of medical fees, normalizing essential and local medical services, and tackling the medical gap between the metropolitan area and rural areas.
Candidate Hong stated, 'I will initiate a major educational reform to make South Korea a powerhouse of talent again,' promising, 'I will ensure fairness in university admissions through the principle of 100% regular selection and strengthen excellence education by increasing the number of gifted high schools, specialized high schools, and establishing gifted schools and education institutes.'
To expand educational welfare for low-income families, he announced that he would merge Oh Se-hoon's 'Seoul Learn' project with 'Yeomin Dongrak 8080,' allowing middle and high school students across the country to study while taking 'Gangnam internet classes.'
'Yeomin Dongrak 8080' program, implemented by Daegu City and Gyeongsangnam-do, aims to provide vouchers for educational expenses of up to 800,000 won to middle and high school students from households with incomes below 80% of the median income.
He stated that he would introduce a separate 'preliminary lawyer examination system' for selecting legal professionals by the state, distinct from the bar exam that law school graduates can take. Candidate Hong stressed, 'I will strictly manage the law school curriculum and examination standards and establish a fair evaluation system to alleviate concerns about a 'modern version of the merit-based system.'
He also stated that he would further strengthen the public nature of the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), Educational Broadcasting System (EBS), and KBS World, and maintain political neutrality. He added that he would abolish the TV license fee and pushed for the complete privatization of other broadcasters like KBS2, MBC, and YTN.
Candidate Hong mentioned that he would strictly regulate YouTube, the 'source of fake news,' and modernize the system to respond to disasters including recent wildfires.