'Yeongnam 4-term' Kim Jeong-hoon, Not Running in General Election... "Feeling Responsible, Party Needs Generational Change"

"Conservative Unification Must Share Contemporary Values to Succeed... Impeachment Issue Also Needs Resolution in Some Form"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hye-min] Kim Jeong-hoon, a four-term member of the Liberty Korea Party (Buk-gu Gap, Busan), announced on the 14th that he will not run in the upcoming general election.

On the same day, Kim sent a statement to reporters regarding his decision not to run, saying, "I will not run in the next general election." He had previously stated that he would reveal his political stance at an appropriate time after the regular National Assembly session ended.

Kim said, "When President Park Geun-hye was impeached and the Saenuri Party collapsed, as a senior member of the party, I had already considered not running, and after the 2018 local election defeat, I wanted to announce my position at the right time." He added, "All Saenuri Party members bear direct or indirect responsibility for what happened to the party, but senior members have a heavier responsibility. More senior members need to deeply reflect on their responsibilities and seriously consider what is the right way to take responsibility."

He also urged changes within the Korea Party. Kim stated, "The Korea Party, which should play a central balancing role, is currently disappointing," and reflected, "Despite the deepening social polarization, the party has been complacent and negligent in resolving it, and the National Assembly's operation has not been refined to meet the people's expectations."

Kim expressed his conviction, saying, "Even as the precious values we pursued and tried to protect are collapsing, we have responded too helplessly and are now trying to pass it off as inevitable. This should not be the case." He continued, "We must ease the hearts of the people who have trusted and followed us. Those who bear political responsibility for creating this situation must take responsibility in some form."

He emphasized, "To give the people even a glimmer of hope, the party must be completely reformed. We need generational change with new people who understand the spirit of the times and have a historical sense of mission. When the people change, the party changes, and when the party changes, the country can change."

Regarding conservative unification, he said it is important to share the values of the era. Kim warned, "If conservative unification becomes a political engineering-driven coalition where old figures who should disappear revive, the people will immediately turn away." On the impeachment issue, he said, "If it is not resolved properly and is superficially unified, internal conflicts during the nomination process could explode, resulting in outcomes worse than not unifying at all."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.