🤔 Hong Joon-pyo Meets with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon: A Strategic Move in the Presidential Race? 🤝

Hong Joon-pyo, a former Daegu mayor and a presidential hopeful from the People Power Party (국민의힘), held a dinner meeting today with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon. This meeting comes just three days after Mayor Oh declared his decision not to run for president.

According to sources close to Mayor Oh, the meeting was arranged at the request of Hong Joon-pyo’s side. The two met at the Seoul Mayor’s official residence in Hannam-dong, with Kim Byung-min, the Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs, also in attendance.

As other presidential contenders from the People Power Party are also reaching out to Mayor Oh, Kim Moon-soo, former Minister of Employment and Labor, and Ahn Cheol-soo, a member of the National Assembly, are scheduled to meet with him tomorrow.

Hong’s proactive move to meet with Mayor Oh a day earlier suggests a strategy to gain an advantage in the primary race by absorbing Mayor Oh’s support base, particularly among moderate voters.

On the 12th, Hong stated, “Mayor Oh’s decision not to run for president is a response to the concerns of Seoul citizens and a sign of loyalty to our party. I will actively embrace the themes of ‘growth again’ and ‘walking with the vulnerable,’ as Mayor Oh mentioned, and reflect them in future state administration.”

Although Hong drew a line on the 14th, stating, “How can there be solidarity with someone who is not running?” after declaring his candidacy, it appears that communication has been ongoing behind the scenes. 👀

This meeting could signal potential shifts in the political landscape as the People Power Party prepares for its presidential primary.