[Column] Why Kim Jong-in Suddenly Invoked 'Baek Jong-won'

Kim Jong-in, floor leader of the United Future Party, is attending the joint meeting of the Supreme Council members and senior lawmakers held at the National Assembly on the 24th, checking materials before the meeting starts. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hye-min] Kim Jong-in, the emergency committee chairman of the United Future Party who emerged as the party's 'kingmaker,' unexpectedly mentioned Baek Jong-won, CEO of The Born Korea. This came to light after he referred to Baek as a potential next presidential candidate during a lunch with first-term lawmakers. Although Chairman Kim said it was "just a light remark," the impact was significant. It is typical of Chairman Kim, who always stirs up attention.

In political circles, the effect of his remarks was considerable. Lawmakers spent the entire day trying to interpret Chairman Kim's intentions. Some cautioned against overinterpretation, saying it was an offhand comment, while others criticized it as inappropriate. Yet others believed there must be a reason for mentioning a real name and attached meaning to it. Eventually, suspicions arose that Chairman Kim himself might be aiming to become a presidential candidate. The public took his remarks lightly and moved on, but the political world took them quite seriously.

The people who felt most stung were the self-proclaimed and acknowledged presidential hopefuls of the opposition. Chairman Kim has repeatedly said, "The only presidential candidate worth mentioning in the current political arena is Representative Lee Nak-yeon," and asked, "Does the United Future Party even have a presidential candidate?" This 'Baek Jong-won remark' poured fuel on the already troubled minds of presidential hopefuls. Representative Jang Je-won’s comment, "Mentioning someone like Baek Jong-won is basically saying, 'We don't have anyone in our party.' It disparages the party's valuable assets," likely reflected the sentiments of the opposition's presidential hopefuls themselves.

However, the fact that the opposition leader’s 'joking' remark caused such a stir also proves that the public’s and Chairman Kim’s thoughts are not very different. From Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl to CEO Baek, unexpected figures centered around the opposition keep being summoned, and presidential candidates need to accept this humbly. They should laugh it off by saying, "I will become a populist politician like Baek Jong-won," and then coolly reflect on themselves.

On the day the Baek Jong-won remark was made, a first-term lawmaker who was present said Chairman Kim followed up with this: "We need to pursue populist politics. Looking at past presidential election results, those who protected the common people and the vulnerable won." CEO Baek has said he has "no intention whatsoever in politics," and this incident seems to be ending as a mere happening. However, politicians need to carefully ponder the true meaning behind what he really wanted to say.

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