It wouldn’t make Hong look so good in the eye of the public to move straight from presidential election defeat to party chairmanship race, according to the party whip.

“He even told me once that he would quit politics, should he lose in this year’s election,” he added.

“The decision is his to make but I believe that he is not likely to seek the party chairmanship.”

Hong, who ended up second in Tuesday’s race with 24.03 percent in final turnout, hinted on the previous day that he shall nevertheless carry on his political career.

Despite his failure to rise to state leadership, speculations mounted that Hong may be after other political goals, including the chief position of the conservative party.

“I will take the presidential election as a new beginning, not as an end,” he wrote in his Facebook account.

The former governor is set to depart for the United States as early as within the week on a month-long visit to his younger son, according to his aides.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)