Kim Jong-in: "We will innovate to enable a presidential candidate to emerge from within the party"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Kim Jong-in, the Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, responded to questions about the by-elections in April next year and the presidential candidate by saying, "We will innovate so that a presidential candidate can emerge from within the party." He also revealed plans to issue a public apology to the nation after the judicial procedures for the former presidents who are currently detained are concluded.

On the 3rd, Chairman Kim held a non-face-to-face press conference at the National Assembly to mark his 100th day in office, stating, "If we change the party internally to a state that can be most loved by the people, I am confident that a presidential candidate will emerge from within our party."

He also drew a line regarding speculation about the possibility of unification with Ahn Cheol-soo, the leader of the People’s Party, as a candidate for Seoul mayor. He said, "I neither know nor need to know how (Leader Ahn) will conduct his political activities," adding, "We will field candidates for Seoul mayor and president, so if you keep pointing out people who are not candidates, I don’t feel the need to speak specifically." Regarding former lawmaker Hong Jung-wook, he dismissed by saying, "I have no idea what kind of thoughts an outsider holds."

He emphasized that to become a candidate for Seoul mayor, one must join the party. He said, "There will be people who judge that it is advantageous for them to enter the People Power Party and become candidates," adding, "(Those people) can join our party or wait until we establish a task force related to the by-elections and then make a judgment considering various circumstances."

Regarding his past interview where he pointed out that former Liberty Korea Party leader Hong Joon-pyo and former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min’s "candidate shelf life has expired," he said, "I don’t necessarily think that is decisive," and showed a change in stance by saying, "I believe they can proceed as they think if they want to run for president in the future."

He criticized President Moon Jae-in for "undermining the separation of powers." He said, "When we were in the opposition, we pointed out many mistakes of the ruling party, so I thought they would not repeat the mistakes of the past ruling party and would show something new, but I don’t see that," adding, "The gravest mistake is the takeover of the judiciary and undermining the separation of powers, which is the foundation of democracy in our country."

On this day, Chairman Kim emphasized reflection on the past and continuing innovation in his opening remarks. During the conference, regarding former presidents Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak, he said, "Judicial procedures are ongoing," and "Once the judicial procedures are completed, we plan to choose an appropriate time to issue a public apology to the nation."

Regarding criticism of "autocratic leadership" that arose during the process of revising the party name and platform, he dismissed it by saying, "I have never forcibly pushed my personal opinions in running the party." He explained, "In the past, when the party changed from the Grand National Party to the Saenuri Party, it took about a month to change the platform and about a week to change the party name," adding, "In contrast, this time, the platform revision went through discussions for three months, and the party name revision took nearly two months."

Regarding the issue of a "cabinet system" that may arise after the COVID-19 situation ends, he said, "We also have a strong willingness to actively discuss it," but refrained from saying, "I cannot say when it will be realized." He also did not give a separate answer when asked about his intention to run for president.

Regarding Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung’s criticism of the People Power Party as a "party for the rich" for proposing selective disaster relief payments, he responded, "Governor Lee seems deeply immersed in the concept of basic income and keeps insisting on applying it to the entire population, but national policy should focus on efficiency."

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