President Lee Jae-myung will hold a private luncheon meeting with former Daegu Mayor Hong Jun-pyo at the Blue House on Thursday. Hong recently publicly endorsed former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum ahead of the June 3 local elections.
Hong announced on Facebook on Wednesday that "Senior Presidential Secretary for Political Affairs Hong Ik-pyo contacted me two weeks ago, and I said it would be fine if it was a private luncheon."
"I'm a political independent and unemployed," he said. "Not only the opposition party leader but also other opposition figures are going, so there's no reason for me not to go."
Hong left the People Power Party after losing the presidential primary last year. He subsequently announced his retirement from politics.
On June 2, Hong publicly expressed his support for Kim, who was selected as the Democratic Party of Korea's mayoral candidate for Daegu. "I mentioned former Prime Minister Kim because I hoped the next Daegu mayor would be capable and able to work with the central government," he explained. "I'd like people to see this as supporting Kim Boo-kyum, not supporting the Democratic Party."
