After being eliminated from the People Power Party presidential primary, former Daegu mayor Hong Joon-pyo, who declared his retirement from politics, returns to Korea through Incheon International Airport and is conducting an interview on June 17./Courtesy of News1

Former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo claimed, "The Yoon Suk-yeol administration should never have been born." He also stated that during the process of selecting the presidential candidate for the People Power Party in 2021, former President Yoon received support from a particular religion. People Power Party lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong countered, saying, "It is a divisive delusion of someone who cannot admit defeat."

On that day, former Mayor Hong mentioned on his Facebook, "The recent special counsel investigation focusing on the People Power Party's presidential primary in October 2021 seems aimed at undermining the legitimacy of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. At that time, I won overwhelmingly in public opinion, but I lost dramatically in the party member vote and yielded the candidate position to former President Yoon."

He added, "Everyone who knows that there were hundreds of thousands of responsible party members from religious groups such as Shincheonji and the Unification Church behind the background of the significant victory announced by lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong at the party member vote knows that the Yoon administration should never have been born."

Former Mayor Hong left the People Power Party after being eliminated in the last presidential primary. He said, "After being cheated in the primary twice, I became sick of that party and could no longer stay there."

On the 18th, Kweon Seong-dong, a member of the People Power Party, states his position regarding the search related to Kim Keon-hee's special investigation on the 'Gunjin Beopsa-Unification Church allegations' in front of his office at the National Assembly building in Yeouido, Seoul./Courtesy of News1

Lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong rebutted through his Facebook, saying, "Former Mayor Hong's comments are a typical case of spreading false information and a recurrence of the 'Hong Joon-pyo chronic ailment,' which always seeks the problem's cause in others." He added, "I have no facts of colluding with a specific religion to organize voting encouragement."

He further stated, "The claim of intervention by a specific religious group is a divisive delusion of someone who cannot admit their defeat due to their shortcomings, and I hope the 'stalking politics' will stop now, as leaving the party is essentially a farewell."

He mentioned, "I have tried to endure this as much as possible, but if false information continues to be disseminated, I will no longer tolerate it and will take legal action."

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