"'All In on One Person' No More Mistakes... Opposition's Love Call for Kim Dong-yeon and Choi Jae-hyung"

Lost by focusing only on Ban Ki-moon in last presidential election
Ruling and opposition parties dispute ownership over Kim Dong-yeon
Choi Jae-hyung refrains from announcing candidacy due to current position

[Asia Economy Reporters Jeon Jin-young and Na Joo-seok] Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance Kim Dong-yeon and Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Choi Jae-hyung are rapidly emerging as ‘presidential election blue chips.’ The opposition’s active suggestion of external recruitment possibilities is interpreted as a sign that they do not want to repeat the failure of putting all their hopes on a single strong candidate.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to political circles on the 21st, the recruitment tug-of-war over former Deputy Prime Minister Kim continues between the ruling and opposition parties. Kim criticized the ruling party’s presidential candidates’ universal welfare policies through Facebook the day before, saying, "Cash should not be distributed regardless of income level or welfare benefits, but welfare should be invested in opportunities." This was immediately interpreted as a signal of his full-fledged entry into politics.

Both ruling and opposition parties are on high alert regarding his movements. Within the Democratic Party of Korea, there have been claims of ‘ownership’ over Kim Dong-yeon. Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Kwang-jae recently drew a line on Facebook, stating, "There is no way Kim Dong-yeon will go to the People Power Party," and on the 20th, he said, "I am in communication with former Deputy Prime Minister Kim. He himself says he was the first Deputy Prime Minister under the Moon Jae-in administration." Earlier, the Democratic Party had requested Kim to run for Seoul mayor in the April 7 by-election. Kim’s political debut is also a ‘hot issue’ in the opposition camp. Former Supreme Council member of the People Power Party and candidate for party leader Lee Jun-seok mentioned in a TV interview the day before, "Many people recognize that he has not always obediently followed government policies, so he is a figure who can attract interest from the opposition side."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Political circles are also calling on the current Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman as a potential next presidential candidate. Lawmakers Joo Ho-young and Cho Kyung-tae, who declared their candidacy for the People Power Party leadership, mentioned Chairman Choi by name, hinting at the possibility of a primary race. However, Chairman Choi himself showed caution in a phone interview with a media outlet, saying, "Whatever I say would create a strange situation, so I will not comment further." The so-called ‘Choi Jae-hyung fan club’ even visited the Board of Audit and Inspection that morning to urge him to run for president.

The opposition’s love calls to former Deputy Prime Minister Kim and Chairman Choi are also analyzed as an attempt to secure an alternative, a so-called Plan B, to former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl. Since Yoon has not clearly stated his position regarding the presidential election and may suffer fatal damage during the verification process, the opposition is trying to broaden the pool of candidates. They want to avoid the mistake of relying solely on former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

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