Kim Jong-in's Broad Actions Inside and Outside the Assembly... Is He Transforming into 'Let's Go Leadership'?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Kim Jong-in, the Emergency Committee Chairman of the Future United Party, who was nicknamed the 'Yeouido Tsar' for his autocratic leadership, is undertaking an extensive campaign to listen to voices within the party by moving between outside and inside the National Assembly. This appears to be an effort to quell the internal criticism sparked by his remarks that 'conservatives are disliked.' Attention is also focused on whether he will leap forward with 'Let's Go Leadership' after the failure to appoint the head of the Yeouido Research Institute.

On the 11th, Chairman Kim held a luncheon meeting at a restaurant in Yeouido with Oh Se-hoon, former mayor of Seoul, and other party branch chiefs from the northeastern Seoul area outside the National Assembly to discuss innovation. At this meeting, Chairman Kim showed interest in 'Safe Income,' proposed by former Mayor Oh as an alternative to basic income, and listened attentively to participants' opinions. He said, "After the COVID-19 non-face-to-face society, our party must present the way for the country to survive," adding, "Unlike the government, which is obsessed with the status quo, we should propose alternatives."

Earlier on the 10th, Chairman Kim expanded his engagement by having a joint meeting with senior lawmakers with four or more terms and then a luncheon with first-term lawmakers from Seoul, Gyeonggi, Gangwon, and Chungbuk. He plans to continue meeting with incumbent lawmakers and floor leaders going forward.

When the first party meeting was held on the 2nd, Chairman Kim had said, "Don't pick too many fights," but his move to listen to voices within the party seems influenced by criticism regarding 'post-conservatism.' His 'left-click' moves, such as advocating basic income and expanding employment insurance while saying 'I dislike conservatives,' have drawn criticism from senior party members questioning whether he is abandoning conservative values. In fact, at the senior joint meeting, Representative Park Jin delivered a direct blow, saying, "Even if we strategically avoid using the term conservative, we must maintain the fundamental values and philosophy of conservatism." Representative Jang Je-won has also raised his voice repeatedly on Facebook, saying, "The party's fighting power against the ruling party is significantly weakening," and "There is no candidate visible for the presidential election." Controversy also arose when Won Hee-ryong, a potential opposition presidential candidate and governor of Jeju Province, recently likened Chairman Kim to a 'mercenary' and 'Hiddink' during a lecture.

Moreover, with criticism of his autocratic leadership intensifying following the failure to appoint the head of the Yeouido Research Institute, attention is focused on whether there will be a shift to 'Let's Go Leadership.' Chairman Kim had nominated Professor Lee Kyung-jeon of Kyung Hee University, an artificial intelligence (AI) expert, as the head of the Yeouido Research Institute, but quickly withdrew the nomination after it was revealed that Professor Lee had defended former Representative Cha Myung-jin, who was embroiled in controversy over offensive remarks about the Sewol ferry disaster. On the 12th, Representative Cho Hae-jin of the United Party pointed out on YTN Radio's 'No Young-hee's Start of a New Morning,' "I don't know whether Chairman Kim consulted with those around him, but if there had been people who could objectively evaluate this person, it could have been filtered out." The party's longest-serving lawmaker, Representative Jung Jin-seok, also emphasized at a United Party seminar on the 4th, "Rather than the past leadership style of 'Follow me,' the 'Let's Go Leadership' of 'Let's go together' will work."

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