Hong faces mounting criticism over his resignation as governor SEOUL , April 5 ( Yonhap ) -- South Gyeongsang Province Gov . Hong Joon - pyo , the presidential nominee of the conservative Liberty Korea Party , has faced mounting criticism over his move to preclude a by - election to pick his successor , observers said Wednesday . Calls have been growing for Hong to resign quickly to pave the way for a by - election to be held in tandem with the presidential vote on May 9 . But he has vowed to have his successor selected through the regular gubernatorial elections in June 2018 , saying a by - election would be costly and only destabilize the provincial administration . To run for the country ' s top elected office , a public servant must resign by April 9 , or 30 days before the vote . The election watchdog must be notified of the resignation by that day to hold a by - election together with the presidential poll . Hong said that he would resign on April 9 , but have the election watchdog notified of his departure the following day . South Gyeongsang Province Gov . Hong Joon - pyo , the presidential nominee of the conservative Liberty Korea Party , speaks during a ceremony to launch an election preparation body in Busan , 453 kilometers south of Seoul , on April 5 , 2017 . ( Yonhap ) His opponents accused him of using a " political ploy " to prevent a liberal figure from succeeding him and hampering the legally guaranteed electoral procedures . They also feared that without a by - election , the provincial government will be left rudderless for more than a year . " Hong ' s move against a by - election is an act that denies or destroys our Constitution , " Chung Young - hoon , a senior member of the liberal Democratic Party ' s regional chapter for South Gyeongsang Province , told reporters Tuesday . Chung pressured the election watchdog to deal with Hong ' s resignation immediately after his resignation on April 9 to enable a by - election to take place on the presidential election day . Chung and Huh Sung - moo , a former vice South Gyeongsang Province governor , declared their bids for the governor post earlier this week . Despite mounting criticism , Hong doubled down on his rhetoric against the by - election , stressing that the costly election will trigger a chain of resignations by top officials and plunge the provincial government into a period of " confusion . " " For the by - election , mayors and county chiefs may opt to resign to throw their hats into the ring , and provincial legislative councilors will seek to run for mayoral and county chief posts , " Hong said at a press conference . " After a series of resignations , the election would then cost some 30 billion won , which should have to come from the coffers of the province , " he added . Hong has emerged as the potential standard - bearer of the conservative camp for the presidential election after Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo - ahn opted out of the race seen more favorable to the liberal bloc following a corruption scandal involving ousted President Park Geun - hye . sshluck @ yna . co . kr ( END )