Hong adds Daegu mayor to his unconventional career trajectory

Even by the standards of South Korea’s convoluted politics, Hong Joon-pyo has had a rather unusual career trajectory.

He was a five-time lawmaker, twice elected governor of South Gyeongsang Province and head of the main conservative party for two separate stints. He was the party’s presidential candidate five years ago and recently was a runner-up in its presidential primary, losing to Yoon Suk-yeol who went on to take the top state office.

In Wednesday’s election, Hong added another title -- mayor of Daegu, which is a city at the heart of the country‘s conservative stronghold but far from the center of partisan politics in Seoul.

“Even President Yoon Suk-yeol can’t ignore me. I will have a stand that no other Daegu mayors ever had,” the 69-year-old politician said after his win was confirmed. The People Power Party candidate overwhelmed his liberal rival, winning 78.7 percent of the votes cast there.

Originally a state prosecutor, Hong entered politics in 1996. Outspoken and never one to shy away from controversy, he has built an image of a conservative firebrand. His main support base has long been hardcore, ultraconservative voters.

In the past years, to his own bewilderment, however, the politician somehow managed to click with young male voters, who hailed his sharp tongue and an unrefined quality.

Daegu, which Hong will govern for the next four years, is the country’s third-largest city with 2.3 million people, though it is smaller than the nearby South Gyeongsang Province. Hong was the governor of the province, which has a population of 3.4 million in eight cities and 10 counties, from December 2012 to April 2017.

Asked whether he still has presidential ambitions, Hong said, “How could I know what will happen four years from now? No one knows that.” 

By Korea Herald (khnews@heraldcorp.com)