Free and Innovation Party Leader Hwang Kyo-ahn. [Photo=Yonhap News]

Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the Free and Innovation Party, declared today, the 12th, that he will run in the Pyeongtaek B constituency by-election for the National Assembly, scheduled for June 3rd.

Pyeongtaek B is a district vacated by a Democratic Party lawmaker due to violations of the Public Official Election Act.

In his declaration of candidacy, Party Leader Hwang Kyo-ahn stated, "With a resolute will to restore the collapsing Republic of Korea, I declare my candidacy for the National Assembly by-election," adding, "This candidacy is a decision made because the current state of this nation has collapsed to such an extent that I can no longer remain silent."

He further emphasized, "The Republic of Korea now stands at a crossroads, facing a choice between liberal democracy and communism." "The people already know what has gone wrong, where we are heading, and how dangerously this nation is hurtling forward."

Hwang stated, "The problem is not the people, but politics. The people already know the answer, but politics alone is turning a blind eye to it," and declared, "I announce my candidacy for the by-election to correct this national crisis." He also solidified his resolve to run through "Three Promises to the People."

Below is the full text of Party Leader Hwang Kyo-ahn's declaration of candidacy:

Declaration of Candidacy (Pyeongtaek B National Assembly By-election) 

Distinguished citizens,

Today, with a resolute will to restore the collapsing Republic of Korea, I declare my candidacy for the National Assembly by-election.

I will run in Pyeongtaek B, Gyeonggi Province, a district vacated by a Democratic Party lawmaker due to violations of the Public Official Election Act.

This candidacy is not for my personal gain.

It is a decision made because the current state of this nation has collapsed to such an extent that I can no longer remain silent.

The Republic of Korea is currently at the center of a systemic war.

We stand at a crossroads, facing a choice between liberal democracy and communism.

The people already know everything.

What has gone wrong,

Where we are heading now,

How dangerously this nation is hurtling forward, they know it all.

The problem is not the people, but politics.

The people already know the answer, but politics alone is turning a blind eye to it.

Today,

As I declare my candidacy for the by-election to correct this national crisis, I will make three promises to the people.

First, I will achieve electoral reform, eradicating fraudulent elections and establishing a fair electoral system.

I will do it right.

The flower of democracy is the election.

If that election is shaken, the Republic of Korea will become a nation with only an empty shell.

The people are now asking:

"Are our votes truly being reflected correctly?"

"There are suspicions, so why is no one taking responsibility?"

In the National Assembly, I will reform the electoral system without any sacred cows.

The opaque electoral structure, the unaccountable electoral system,

I will relentlessly investigate and rectify the operational methods that disregard the people.

This fight is not a matter of party or ideology.

It is a matter of national legitimacy.

Politics that ignores this question,

That is the force that destroys democracy.

I will absolutely rectify all institutional loopholes in the electoral system and establish a transparent electoral system that no one can doubt.

Second, I will fight and win.

I will confront and fight head-on against the 'anti-state forces' that are undermining liberal democracy.

In the Republic of Korea today, illegality that collapses the nation without firing a shot is rampant.

While speaking of democracy on the surface,

They actually deny the identity of the Republic of Korea.

While calling for peace and human rights on the surface,

They openly undermine the values of security and alliance, and human rights.

They call liberal democracy an 'outdated system',

Treat the constitution as an 'obstacle',

And ridicule the rule of law as 'oppression'.

And another bizarre characteristic is that

They persistently attack only the wrongdoings of the Republic of Korea,

While remaining strangely silent about China, North Korea, and anti-state forces that threaten the Republic of Korea.

They brand citizens who question the fairness of elections as conspiracy theorists,

And label voices calling for the protection of national identity as far-right.

What does this mean?

On the surface, it's a civic movement,

On the surface, it's reform,

But in the end, it is systemic deconstruction that pulls out the pillars of the Republic of Korea one by one.

I say this clearly.

This is not freedom.

This is not democracy.

It is a wicked act of rebellion that seeks to destroy liberal democracy by using liberal democracy itself.

We must stop the runaway train that has derailed.

We must judge the Lee Jae-myung regime.

In the National Assembly, I will uproot anti-state forces until the very end.

I am someone who has done this before.

In the current situation of our country, neutrality is betrayal. Silence is complicity.

I will not remain silent.

I will not compromise.

I will absolutely not back down.

I will be the last bulwark defending the system of the liberal democratic Republic of Korea.

Third, I will do it anew.

I will start anew the reconstruction of this nation with the youth.

Young people are now asking:

"Isn't this a country where working hard doesn't work?"

"Isn't this a country where there are no opportunities even if you try?"

This is not the problem of the youth,

It is the responsibility of politics that has kicked away the ladder of opportunity.

I will rebuild a country where young people can speak of dreams and challenges, not anger and resignation.

Fair competition,

Opportunities to try again,

A future nation moving towards a vision.

I will open this path together with the youth.

Distinguished citizens,

The world is already racing into a great transformation of AI, semiconductors, and advanced industries.

Technology hegemony wars, industrial wars, and security wars are breaking out everywhere.

But what about the Republic of Korea?

It remains stagnant amidst political ideologies, partisan strife, and incompetent populism.

The nation has lost its direction,

Politics has abandoned its responsibility,

And the people are unable to sleep at night in anxiety.

I

Have served as Minister of Justice, Prime Minister, Acting President, and leader of the main opposition party, having held key positions across the three branches of government: legislative, judicial, and executive.

I know the field, I have worked as a responsible party, and I have experienced the practical work.

I am someone who has experienced both success and failure.

Therefore, I can say this clearly.

How quickly incompetent politics can ruin a nation,

How dangerously flawed power can make a system,

I have seen it firsthand and experienced it firsthand.

Are we not witnessing the case of Venezuela?

My candidacy this time

Is a decision for national salvation to correct the course of our collapsing nation.

I will take a completely new path.

I will not follow the existing political grammar of compromise, the grammar of silence, or the grammar of cowardly survival.

I will only proceed with a new grammar that saves the nation.

I will uncover all the corruption of the ruling party and the political circles.

I will directly listen to the voices of the people in the field and report to the people frequently at the National Assembly Communication Office.

And above all, I will surely restore the standards and common sense of national operation so that the Republic of Korea can return to being a "normal country."

A country where one can become president through trickery despite a guilty verdict from the Supreme Court,

This is the current Republic of Korea.

This is clearly not normal.

Distinguished citizens,

Residents of Pyeongtaek B,

This election is a barometer of whether the Republic of Korea will continue to collapse or rise again.

The path to restoring the Republic of Korea,

I will do it right.

I will do it anew.

I will fight and win.

I, Hwang Kyo-ahn, will lead the way.

I will fulfill my responsibilities to the end.

I request the decision of the citizens and the local residents.

Thank you.

January 12, 2026

Hwang Kyo-ahn, Leader of the Free and Innovation Party