Hong Joon-pyo, former Daegu mayor, criticized the partisan political climate and called for bipartisan politics centered on national interests.
Hong said on Facebook on Wednesday, "The era dominated by partisan logic must no longer continue in our country." Hong left the People Power Party after losing the party's presidential primary last year.
"A year ago, I gave up my party membership and retired from active politics, deciding to live the rest of my life in loyalty to national interests. I decided to live freely like the wind," he said. He added, "These days I truly feel the meaning of the saying 'su-yok-jeong-i-pung-bu-ji' (樹欲靜而風不止) — 'The tree wishes to stand still, but the wind never ceases.'"
The remarks came amid criticism from some quarters over Hong's public endorsement of Kim Bu-gyeom, the Democratic Party of Korea's candidate in the Daegu mayoral election.