[The Police File] Fact Check: Is There Even a 0.01% Chance Lim Young-woong from Mr. Trot Could Be a Presidential Candidate?

Baek Jong-won and Lim Young-woong Mentioned as United Future Party Presidential Candidates
Article 16 of the Public Official Election Act Sets Age Requirement for Presidential Eligibility

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] The controversy surrounding the next presidential candidate of the United Future Party is shifting toward broadcasters (celebrities). This is because the political circle is mentioning real names regardless of the individuals' intentions. The first controversy involved broadcaster Baek Jong-won.

When Kim Jong-in, the emergency committee chairman of the United Future Party, mentioned Baek Jong-won in relation to the next presidential election, there was heated interest both inside and outside the party. Rather than attributing significance to Baek Jong-won's potential candidacy, the political interpretation of why Chairman Kim mentioned his real name was the main point of discussion.

It was a rhetorical question about how desperate the situation must be for even Baek Jong-won, who had repeatedly stated through various channels that he had no intention of entering politics, to be brought up. This is an embarrassing scene for United Future Party politicians preparing for the next presidential election, as it could lead to lowering the value of the party's presidential candidates.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 23rd, United Future Party lawmaker Jang Je-won appeared on KBS 1TV’s program ‘Sasa Geon Geon’ and criticized, “When I heard Chairman Kim Jong-in talk about Baek Jong-won, I doubted my ears,” adding, “Isn’t this ridiculing the precious assets and presidential hopefuls of our United Future Party? It was absurd.”

The presidential candidacy episode involving Baek Jong-won extended to singer Lim Young-woong from ‘Mr. Trot,’ one of this year’s biggest hits in the entertainment industry. The name Lim Young-woong even surfaced in discussions about the next presidential election.

On the 27th, lawmaker Jang Je-won pointed out on his Facebook, “The public is circulating mocking jokes like ‘Lim Young-woong over Baek Jong-won for the United Future Party candidate,’ ‘No, it’s Youngtak,’ and ‘Why would our Lim Young-woong go to the United Future Party?’” This indicates that the name Lim Young-woong is being used to criticize the United Future Party’s image.

Regarding this, Democratic Party lawmaker Jung Cheong-rae wrote on Facebook on the 27th, “I think the soulless political opportunist Mr. Kim Jong-in might actually be a fitting presidential candidate,” and added, “(The United Future Party’s next presidential candidate) is not Baek Jong-won or Lim Young-woong. I think it’s Kim Jong-in.” This was a criticism of Kim Jong-in’s political maneuvering, mimicking his tone.

When real names of celebrities are mentioned in the political arena concerning presidential candidates, the general public might start to imagine the possibility. They might envision their favorite popular star becoming a presidential candidate. The decisive difference between Baek Jong-won, born in September 1966 and currently 53 years old, and Lim Young-woong, born in June 1991 and 29 years old, is that while Baek Jong-won is not fundamentally barred from running for president, Lim Young-woong has virtually no chance.

This relates to the Public Official Election Act, which sets age restrictions for presidential candidates. Article 16, Paragraph 1 of the Public Official Election Act contains provisions regarding the ‘eligibility to be elected’ for presidential candidates. According to Article 16, Paragraph 1, “A citizen who has resided in the country for more than five years as of the election day and is 40 years of age or older has the eligibility to be elected president.”

Lim Young-woong, born in June 1991, will only be 30 years old as of March 2022, when the next presidential election is scheduled, and thus cannot obtain the presidential eligibility granted to citizens aged 40 or older. Regardless of any discussions about Lim Young-woong in the political sphere, his chance of running in the March 2022 presidential election converges to 0%.

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