Kim Jong-in: "By-election opposition victory is inevitable... Candidate unification is destiny"

People Power Party Seoul Mayor Election Schedule May End by Late February
Public Perception of People Power Party Likely Changed
Possibility of Yeongsu Meeting Left Open, but Considered Low

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Kim Jong-in, Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, predicted that the opposition party would win the April 7 by-elections. Regarding the Seoul mayoral by-election, he used expressions such as 'destiny' and expected the opposition candidates to unify by March.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 12th, Chairman Kim appeared on Channel A and shared his views on the outlook for the April 7 by-elections. Referring to the sexual harassment by former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and his subsequent suicide, Kim said, "(The Democratic Party, which Park belonged to) is a party that should not even field a candidate, but since they insist on doing so, the public will make a proper judgment." He added, "What Seoul citizens are most sensitive about is the 24 real estate measures that have caused housing problems for citizens, along with significant mismanagement putting pressure on them," and said, "Considering the tax bomb, rising housing prices, sexual violence, and other issues, it is natural that the opposition party will inevitably win."

Regarding the opposition unification by March, he expressed expectations by mentioning 'destiny' and similar terms. Chairman Kim said, "Opposition unification is destined to happen," and added, "Initially, there were concerns about unification, and the possibility of a three-way race was considered, but recently, it has become a situation where unification cannot be avoided." He predicted, "First, unification between former lawmaker Geum Tae-seop and People Power Party leader Ahn Cheol-soo will take place within this month, and by the end of this month, the People Power Party candidate will be confirmed. So, in March, the unified candidate between former lawmaker Geum and former leader Ahn will unify with the People Power Party candidate."

He also mentioned the possibility of accelerating the People Power Party candidate selection schedule. He said, "Looking at the current schedule, all debates will be finished by the 25th," and added, "If we immediately proceed with public opinion polls, the candidate can be confirmed." Even if the candidate is decided in early March, he believed there would be no difficulties in unifying the opposition candidates. He said, "As long as unification happens within 15 days after entering March, it will not affect the election."

Chairman Kim predicted that public perception of the People Power Party has also changed significantly due to its transformation. He said, "The People Power Party has changed its platform and policies for nearly seven months. We have broken away from the image of protecting vested interests or being a party for the wealthy, and declared that we will walk with the weak and develop into a progressive party. We have also addressed past taboos," adding, "We officially apologized for situations after May 18 and the impeachment, and voters will feel that we have changed a lot compared to the past Future United Party or the former Liberty Korea Party."

Chairman Kim left open the possibility of a summit meeting with President Moon Jae-in but saw little chance of it happening. He said, "(A summit meeting) could happen if the president decides it is necessary," but added, "In my view, such a situation will not come." He said, "Looking at President Moon's practices over the past four years, he has kept himself somewhat distant from issues and played the role of a bystander," and added, "He does not seem to be someone who actively tries to solve problems."

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