Kim Jong-in Predicts 'By-election Victory'... Tells Yoon Hee-sook, "Is Political Skill Anything Special? Don't Miss the Opportunity"

Kim Jong-in, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party. / Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Kim Jong-in, the Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, predicted the party's victory in the Seoul mayoral by-election scheduled for April next year. Regarding Representative Yoon Hee-sook, he referred to former U.S. President Obama’s case and advised, "Do not miss the opportunity." On the possibility of an alliance with the People’s Party, he drew a clear line, saying, "There is no such possibility now or in the future."

In an interview with Asia Economy at the Emergency Committee Chairman’s office in the National Assembly on the morning of the 14th, Chairman Kim highly evaluated Representative Yoon’s potential, saying, "President Obama only had two years of experience in the Senate."

Representative Yoon, who gained attention with her '5-minute speech in the National Assembly' and was considered a candidate for the Seoul mayor from within the party, previously said in a media interview, "I know I would do well as Seoul mayor, but I lack political skills." This statement clearly reflected her awareness of being a first-term lawmaker. However, Chairman Kim responded, "Political skills do not necessarily come out," adding, "In life, you only get one chance, and if you seize it, you can become a successful politician."

Chairman Kim is actively promoting 'first-term lawmakers.' Recently, there have been continuous media reports that he proposed candidacies for the Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections to some first-term lawmakers. Although Chairman Kim dismissed these reports as "media speculation," he emphasized, "Let’s not distinguish between first-term and re-elected lawmakers. They are all politicians; please look at who among them can demonstrate their capabilities."

However, regarding the recently raised possibility of a merger with the People’s Party, he dismissed it, saying, "There are few examples where merging parties has led to success," and "It is not happening now, nor will it happen in the future." Chairman Kim explained, "Before the April 15 general election, we formed a conservative grand coalition, but the results are as you see now," adding, "My task as the Emergency Committee Chairman is to stabilize the People Power Party and expand its domain." On independent lawmakers who have applied to rejoin the party, he was cautious, saying, "Expansion can only happen after the party is stabilized."

Chairman Kim also predicted that 'presidential hopefuls stirring beneath the surface' would emerge around November. He said, "If someone has presidential ambitions and thinks they cannot stand alone, and believes they need the power of a political party, they can join our People Power Party and participate in the primaries, which gives them a chance," adding, "It is something they do voluntarily; I do not tell them, 'Come when the time is right.'" Some speculate that Chairman Kim himself is a presidential hopeful. He laughed off the idea, saying, "Would I act like this if I had such thoughts?"

Although it has been 100 days since he became Emergency Committee Chairman, many still associate the party’s name with former President Park Geun-hye and Choi Soon-sil. Chairman Kim acknowledged this, saying, "The majority of the public still does not fully trust us," and "How to dispel that is the task of the People Power Party." He hinted that it is not a problem that can be solved immediately, saying, "Politics requires patience."

Chairman Kim recently sparked controversy with his remark that "people should not get used to government money." There were also critical voices within the party. He explained, "It was unreasonable to give disaster relief funds to all citizens last time," adding, "This time, we plan to provide support only to those directly affected by COVID-19, so those who received support before are asking, 'Why not us?' That is what I meant."

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