Lee Seong-bae, a spokesperson and former MBC announcer, shed tears over the announcement of Congressman Hong Joon-pyo's retirement from politics.
Hong Joon-pyo, a candidate for the presidential primary of the People Power Party, declared his retirement from politics on the 29th after failing to advance in the June 3rd primary.
Immediately after his primary defeat, Hong held a press conference at his Yeouido camp office, stating, "I graduated early today. I want to escape from the scene of conflict and live as an ordinary citizen. I will remain a citizen who can meet people without burden in the market or on the street."
Taking the microphone, spokesperson Lee Seong-bae said, "I have been by Hong Joon-pyo's side 24 hours a day and sincerely believed, 'He can really defeat candidate Lee Jae-myung.' My belief that 'he can normalize a divided South Korea' grew every day," as he showed his tears.
He continued, "Hong was truly a refreshing Coca-Cola and a friendly 'Grandpa Hong' like the neighbor next door," expressing his special affection.
Former Mayor Hong did not pass the final threshold in the second primary, which reflected party member votes and public opinion polls at 50% each, alongside candidate Ahn Cheol-soo.
Earlier, on the 14th, spokesperson Lee announced his resignation from MBC on social media, saying, "Today, I bid my final farewell to MBC," and then joined Hong Joon-pyo's camp.
As he left MBC, he stated, "I made the decision to step back from a familiar and warm place and jump into a chaotic era. Knowing that it is a path I cannot return from, I throw my life into a new path." However, with Hong's announcement of his retirement from politics just two weeks after joining the camp, the next steps for spokesperson Lee have become uncertain.
