Kim Jong-in: "I cannot serve as Emergency Committee Chairman under the premise of an early party convention... Full authority is natural"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Former Future United Party (Mirae Tonghapdang) General Election Committee Chairman Kim Jong-in stated that he would not accept the position of emergency committee chairman if it is premised on an early party convention. He explained that becoming the emergency committee chairman means being entrusted with full authority and that he intends to complete preparations for the presidential election. Regarding the idea of putting the so-called '830 (born in the 1980s, in their 30s, class of 00)' generation at the forefront, he expressed skepticism, saying, "Realistically, it seems impossible in our country."

On the 22nd, Kim appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' and said, "If such talk keeps coming up, it becomes impossible to work."

He added, "What worries this party the most is that. During the process of working, there might be constant talk about another party convention," and said, "If (an early party convention) is the premise, then I really cannot (be the emergency committee chairman)." This was in response to calls within the party to hold the party convention 1 to 2 months earlier.

The Future United Party is conducting a full survey among its 20th National Assembly members and 21st elected members to decide whether to proceed with an emergency committee or an early party convention. If the emergency committee system is confirmed, Kim is considered a strong candidate for the emergency committee chairman. However, Kim said, "I will consider it carefully."

He explained, "Since I joined Park Geun-hye's emergency committee in 2012, I have been well aware of the strong rejection toward me personally," adding, "I pushed through until the end, and after the presidential election, I just parted ways. Having experienced such a situation, I think I need to be cautious about whether I should do this or not."

Kim emphasized that the party's top priority is preparing for the presidential election. He pointed out, "The party's most urgent concern should be how to manage the party until the presidential election and win the election," and criticized, "As of now, there is no suitable presidential candidate."

Therefore, he argued that to secure time for presidential election preparations, the emergency committee should rather be postponed. He said, "If the premise is to hold the party convention in August or July, there is no need to even talk to me," adding, "Why establish an emergency committee? If you are too obsessed with the party's constitution and regulations, you cannot do anything."

He stated his intention to work with full authority if he becomes the emergency committee chairman. He said, "If I become the emergency committee chairman, since the current representative's authority is limited, you cannot even talk about full authority," but added, "(If I become the emergency committee chairman,) it is natural that full authority will be granted."

Regarding independent elected members such as former Liberty Korea Party leader Hong Joon-pyo, he said, "They probably think they need to quickly join and establish their own position, but we need to review the actual situation within the party," and about the Future Korea Party, he said, "They may merge or not merge, but it is nominally a political party," adding, "Even if they merge quickly, it does not have any special effect."

On the opinion that the 830 generation should take the lead for a party-level transformation, he said, "Personally, I wanted the younger generation to play a role in our country's politics, so I have made various contacts, but realistically, it seems impossible in our country," and "if the 30-40 generation wants to do something, they should present a clear vision on their own and work toward it; it is hard to accept the idea of artificially placing them at the forefront."

Regarding the party name change, he said, "If the product does not sell with the so-called brand it has carried so far, the brand can be changed," and added, "Changing the party name to one that is easier and friendlier for the public to approach is also one option."

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