Lee Jung-hyun, former chairman of the People Power Party's (PPP) nomination management committee, has declared his intention to run for the Jeonnam-Gwangju integrated special city mayor post, saying he wants to "see it through to the end" despite calls for him to abandon the bid.
"Someone has to show that conservatism is not completely dead in Honam," Lee wrote on his social media account on Monday.
"Someone has to cling tenaciously and push forward to show what the values of conservatism are and what political responsibility means," he said. "I want to demonstrate that through the integrated city mayoral election."
"Conservatism dies if it stays only in comfortable places. It comes back to life when it enters difficult territory," Lee added. "If we don't sow seeds in barren land, becoming a truly national party will remain forever impossible."
He emphasized that he does not view this election as "simply one person's candidacy," calling it "a desperate experiment asking whether conservatism can truly be revived in Honam."
Lee also noted that "the conservative party has made abandoning Honam a strategy for some 40 years." He warned that "the consequences have spread to the Seoul metropolitan area, then to Chungcheong, then to Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam, and now even Daegu is being shaken."
"For far too long, there has been no desperation to rebuild conservatism," he said. "Honam conservatism is in a devastating state that looks beyond recovery."
"When everyone gives up, I will not give up," Lee added. "The struggle of one person who refuses to give up can shake even dead politics back to life."
On the same day, the PPP's nomination management committee held a meeting and confirmed an additional open recruitment for candidates for the Jeonnam-Gwangju integrated special city mayor position. No PPP members had applied for the post. The party will post the announcement from June 6 to 8, with applications accepted on June 9 and 10.