[Person人] Kim Hyung-o's Tenacity That Led TK·PK Withdrawal... All Eyes on His Sharp Edge

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] "The goddess of justice, Justitia, holds a sword in one hand and is blindfolded. The reason for the blindfold is that those who catch her eye are let go."

On the 17th of last month, Kim Hyung-o, the Future United Party's nomination committee chairman, mentioned the goddess of justice, Justitia, during his first official meeting with the media. When Chairman Kim referred to Justitia and predicted a 'cold wind of change,' most of the political circles and media viewed with skepticism whether a major reshuffle was possible. Now, a month has passed. It seems no one within the United Party disputes that Chairman Kim is achieving visible results in the party's reshuffle. Not only in the metropolitan area but also in the party's strongholds of Busan-Gyeongnam (PK) and Daegu-Gyeongbuk (TK), senior lawmakers have consecutively announced their withdrawal from the race, earning praise for his steadfastness from the political community.

Originally, the predecessor of the United Party, the Liberty Korea Party's general election planning team, prepared a grand plan to replace more than half of the incumbent lawmakers and cut off more than one-third in the 21st general election. However, due to backlash from cut-off lawmakers and the reluctance of underperforming senior members to step down, most viewed the reshuffle with doubt. TK lawmakers even complained during a lunch with party leader Hwang Kyo-ahn, saying, "Are we a colony?" The nomination committee's status was once threatened amid the conservative unification issues. Despite these difficulties, Chairman Kim personally called lawmakers targeted for replacement, urging them to step down through a 'stealth nomination' strategy, successfully leading senior members to retire.

Furthermore, compared to the PK region where 10 incumbents declared their intention not to run, the TK region's withdrawal announcements were sluggish. On the 19th of this month, the scheduled TK interviews were postponed by a day as a subtle form of pressure. As a result, on the morning of the 20th, Kim Kwang-rim, a Future United Party supreme council member, and Choi Kyo-il, a first-term lawmaker, announced their withdrawal, increasing the number of TK region lawmakers stepping down to five. Proportional representative lawmaker Kang Hyo-sang also expressed his intention to run in Seoul Gangbuk instead of Daegu Dalseo-byeong.

Chairman Kim was also known for his strong determination during his time as Speaker of the National Assembly. Shortly after being elected as the youngest Speaker in September 2008, he refused the ruling Liberty Korea Party's request for a direct submission of the supplementary budget bill after learning that the budget was passed without meeting the quorum in the Budget and Accounts Committee. Later that year, during a legislative battle between the ruling and opposition parties, he rejected the ruling party's request for direct submission and successfully mediated between the parties until the end. He also expressed his conviction that direct submission should be abolished to improve the backward National Assembly.

Born in 1947 and a graduate of Gyeongnam Middle and High School, he is a former Dong-A Ilbo reporter. He entered politics in the 14th general election in 1992 as a candidate for the Democratic Liberal Party, was elected five times in Busan Yeongdo, and held various positions including Prime Minister, Presidential Secretary for Political Affairs, Chair of the Science, Technology, Information and Communications Committee, party secretary-general, and floor leader. He was the first to raise the issue of illegal mobile phone wiretapping and eavesdropping and filed a lawsuit over CDMA patent royalties, securing damages worth $200 million from Qualcomm in the United States.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Of course, Chairman Kim still faces many remaining challenges. Among them, the decisions of senior party members such as former Korean Party leader Hong Joon-pyo and former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Tae-ho are imminent. Former leader Hong was asked by the nomination committee to run in Seoul Gangbuk but ignored this and registered as a preliminary candidate in Yangsan, setting up an election office. Former Governor Kim also refuses to run in a tough metropolitan district and insists on running in his hometown. Attention is focused on whether Chairman Kim's 'cold wind' will work on those who hold out until the end or if a compromise will be reached.

The noise arising from the nomination process due to the unification aftermath must also be resolved. Lee Eon-ju, who joined the United Party from the Forward for Future 4.0, hinted at a strategic nomination in Busan Jung-gu and Yeongdo-gu, causing waves within the constituency. During this process, allegations of favoritism toward Lee surfaced, raising criticism that the nomination committee and Chairman Kim's sword had dulled. Chairman Kim issued a stern warning against such deviations and conducted a harsh solo interview with Lee on the 23rd, which reportedly brought her to tears.

The nomination interviews in the TK region, which could be the biggest flashpoint in the process, will begin on the 2nd of next month. Although the interviews have been postponed several times due to the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), there is an analysis that this delay is a 'stalling tactic' to pressure additional retirements by senior members. All eyes are on whether Chairman Kim can maintain a fair and resolute blindfold, holding a sword in one hand until the end.

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