On April 25, 2025, at the Jongno Dong-A Media Center Channel A Open Studio, candidates from the People Power Party’s second primary race, Han Dong-hoon and Hong Joon-pyo, shook hands before a broadcast.
In Seoul, senior reporter Park Tae-hoon of News1 reported that former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo and former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon were having a spat over whether Hong “was expelled” or “left of his own accord.”
On April 5, Hong took to his social media to announce his support for Kim Boo-kyum, the Democratic Party’s candidate for Daegu Mayor, criticizing the backlash from People Power Party members as “the fuss of sparrows.” This followed harsh remarks from the party labeling Hong as “senile” and “ungrateful,” urging him to retire quietly.
Hong retorted by pointing the finger at the People Power Party’s mainstream, known as the “Yoon Again” faction, for his unjust defeats in past presidential primaries, stating, “What business is it of yours how an ex-husband lives? You should have treated me well while I was around.”
In response, former leader Han mocked Hong as a “deserter” finally “surrendering,” discrediting Hong’s claims of supporting someone other than Kim Boo-kyum as “lies.”
Han further stated, “He wasn’t kicked out; he resisted being held back and left of his own will.”
Hong has frequently blamed the decline of the People Power Party on figures like former President Yoon Seok-youl and former leader Han, often clashing with Han. Meanwhile, Han countered that Hong’s failure to gain power had led him to vent on Han, rather than the Lee Jae-myung administration.