Kim Du-kwan: "Hwang Kyo-ahn, Don't Worry and Send Hong Joon-pyo... Kim Nam-guk Faces a Strong Opponent"

Kim Du-gwan, member of the Democratic Party of Korea./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporters Park Cheol-eung and Jeon Jin-young] "I am basically already there, and the net is well set. It will be easy for them to come in."

This is what Kim Du-kwan, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea who is running in the Gyeongnam Yangsan district and also serving as the election committee chairman for Gyeongnam-Ulsan, said. While former Liberty Korea Party leader Hong Joon-pyo's decision to run in Yangsan is delayed, Kim is solidifying his position in the area first.

In an interview with Asia Economy at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the 20th, Kim said, "There were quite a few talks that Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the United Future Party, was reluctant to send Hong Joon-pyo because he was afraid Hong would win, especially since Hwang is facing a tough situation in Jongno. I want to tell Hwang not to worry too much."

Kim sarcastically viewed Hong's nomination process as a power struggle within the United Future Party and emphasized his strong confidence in the Yangsan election. Hong wrote on Facebook the day before, "(The United Future Party's nomination committee) told me to choose whether to run in Gangbuk, Seoul, or not to run at all."

Kim believes that if Hong runs in Yangsan, his past performance as governor will be the main criterion. He said, "Hong was my successor as governor. What I did included free school meals, guardian-free safe hospitals, local autonomy and decentralization, and denture supply projects for the elderly. Hong's governance policy was very different. He closed Jinju Medical Center, which served the poor and vulnerable."

He added, "Hong cut subsidies that should have gone to cities and counties and declared Gyeongnam 'debt zero,' but in my view, it was 'zero investment.'"

Kim Du-gwan, member of the Democratic Party of Korea./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Kim must also play a leading role in the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam (PK) election alongside Kim Young-choon. Kim said, "Compared to the local elections two years ago, public opinion has shifted a lot (in favor of the Democratic Party), but compared to the general election four years ago, it's somewhat better. The evaluations of incumbent Democratic Party members are not bad, and they are not inferior in candidate competitiveness to figures like former Navy Chief of Staff Hwang Ki-chul, the 'Heroes of Aden' heading to Jinhae. We aim for a majority out of 40 seats, and around 15 seats are definitely possible."

He also had much to say about the recent prosecution investigation. He served as the election committee chairman for Ulsan Mayor Song Cheol-ho in the 2018 local elections. "As I understand it, the essence of the Ulsan case is the corruption of former Ulsan Mayor Kim Ki-hyun's aides. Also, Song's approval rating was already overwhelming before the election, so the idea that they deliberately tried to get him elected doesn't add up. Fake news spread, and some cable news channels exaggerated. I believe the prosecution's indictment was politically motivated."

Regarding the controversy over lawyer Kim Nam-guk's candidacy in the district of lawmaker Geum Tae-seop, which is the Democratic Party's biggest concern, Kim expressed a clear stance. He said, "It should not be misunderstood that Geum Tae-seop is being targeted just because he expressed a different opinion on the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials. Lawyer Kim Nam-guk is an excellent person with expertise and capability, so it seems appropriate for him to compete against a somewhat strong candidate from the United Future Party. The party needs to coordinate well."

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