Kim Jong-in: "I Don't Know About the Rumors of Recruiting Lee Seung-hyun... The People We Have Now Are Enough"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Kim Jong-in, the Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, dismissed reports that the party is recruiting Lee Seung-hyun, honorary chairman of the Korea Foreign Enterprises Association and former Samsung Electronics executive, as its Seoul mayoral candidate, saying, "I don't know about it."

On the 12th, after an on-tact policy workshop at the National Assembly, Kim told reporters, "This is the first time I am hearing about this," and emphasized, "I have no knowledge of such a fact."

Earlier, Jang Seong-cheol, former aide to Kim Moo-sung, ex-leader of the Saenuri Party and head of the Sympathy and Debate Policy Center, appeared on MBC Radio's 'Pyo Chang-won's News High Kick' on the 11th, claiming that the People Power Party's emergency committee is trying to recruit an entrepreneur named L to position him as a rival to Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party.

Following this, speculation surged that the entrepreneur L might be Lee Jae-woong, former CEO of Socar; however, Lee denied it, stating, "I am not the entrepreneur L." The next candidate rumored to be L was the honorary chairman Lee Seung-hyun, but Kim himself denied this.

When asked by reporters if there would be any additional recruitments, he said, "We have never attempted to recruit anyone," and hinted that "the current candidates are sufficient," indicating there are no plans for further recruitment.

The current Seoul mayoral candidate lineup is solidifying around Ahn Cheol-soo, former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, and former People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won. Na is expected to officially announce her candidacy on the 12th. Kim said, "She has been considering running for a long time," and added, "She was just deciding on the timing of the announcement, and it seems it will be tomorrow."

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