Kim Sang-hoon: "If Kim Sun-dong Clearly Intends to Run, He Should Resign from the Preparatory Committee... No Leadership Issues with Kim Jong-in" (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Kim Sang-hoon, a member of the People Power Party and chairman of the by-election primary preparation committee, stated regarding the conflict of interest issue raised about Kim Seon-dong, the secretary-general and one of the committee members, "If the intention to run is clear, he should resign from the preparation committee." He also mentioned that there is no particular problem with the leadership of Kim Jong-in, the emergency response committee chairman, despite the noise that arose during the formation of the preparation committee.

On the 14th, Kim appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and said, "Since this is a committee that sets the primary rules, it is not desirable for someone who will be a candidate to be part of the refereeing team."

He cited the case of Ji Sang-wook, director of the Yeouido Institute, who voluntarily resigned the day before, saying, "If there are still people with the intention to run in the primary preparation committee, I expect those people will also resign."

Within the party, there are also criticisms that Secretary-General Kim, who is preparing to run for Seoul mayor, should resign from the preparation committee. In response, Kim said, "I understand that the secretary-general is an ex officio member currently involved," adding, "If his intention to run is clear, he should resign from the primary preparation committee."

He added, "Since the first meeting on the 13th was just an introductory meeting, there was no opportunity to discuss this, but many media outlets have pointed this out, and I know the character of Secretary-General Kim well. I don't think he would act improperly by clouding his judgment with personal interests."

Kim explained, "Since we have not yet confirmed his true intentions, we need to have a separate opportunity to discuss this. If he intends to run as a candidate in next year's by-election, I expect him to make a judgment to resign not only from the primary preparation committee but also from any positions that could cause misunderstandings." This means he should step down not only as a committee member but also from the secretary-general position.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding whether the rules are being prepared considering that Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People Party, might participate in the primary, Kim said, "We are not considering that at the moment," but left room by adding, "We expect Leader Ahn to play a role in joining forces to change the regime, and we are always open to communication with his side."

He stated that they will verify candidates regardless of whether they are incumbents or non-incumbents and will also consider ways for outsiders to participate in the primary. Kim said, "Since the election is held in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, and also for the mayor of Busan, the second-largest city, we do not discriminate between incumbents and non-incumbents. If there are shortcomings, we should gather wisdom through recruiting outsiders and properly supplement policies."

Kim criticized the Democratic Party's nomination for the by-election, saying, "The by-election is for the area where the administration was abandoned due to an unfortunate scandal involving sexual misconduct. If the Democratic Party has any sense of political decency, they should not mention candidate nominations."

In a subsequent interview on KBS Radio's 'Kim Kyung-rae's Strong Current Affairs,' when asked about conflicts during the preparation committee process, Kim said, "There is probably no special problem," explaining, "Chairman Kim is setting the direction, revising the course, and deeply considering a moderate path to gain public support."

He added, "The spectrum of right-wing conservatives is very broad, and there are people with different opinions. Even among conservatives, there are diverse views, and some do not accept conservatives of different colors. For now, we have entrusted Chairman Kim with the role until April next year, so we need to respect his judgment and support the broad direction he is taking. Chairman Kim is also taking time to review various complaints, big and small."

Kim also expressed willingness to respect Leader Ahn if he wishes to run together in the Seoul mayoral election. He said, "The timing when Leader Ahn expresses such an intention is important, and if there is such a declaration during the candidate selection process, whether in the preliminary or main primary, we need a process and method that respects that."

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