"Why Kim Jong-in Again?" Despite Voter Fatigue, Lee Jun-seok and Yoon Seok-yeol Cling to the 'Kingmaker' Role

Lee Jun-seok Promotes 'Kim Jong-in Winning Theory' Daily
Dissatisfaction Within Party Over 'Kim Jong-in Campaign Committee System'... "Bribery Record Is a Burden to the Party"
Voters Also Express Fatigue
Expert: "Kingmaker Ability Already Proven... 'Political Novice' Yoon Seok-yeol Has No Choice but to Serve Kim Jong-in"

Former Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, Kim Jong-in. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] As the so-called 'kingmaker,' former People Power Party emergency committee chairman Kim Jong-in's entry into the presidential race approaches, debates are emerging. Despite some voters expressing fatigue with the 'Kim Jong-in regime,' there are also assessments that a strategist is needed to lead a young party leader in his 30s and a 'political novice' presidential candidate.

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, has been promoting the 'Kim Jong-in irreplaceability theory' day after day. On the 10th, Lee appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and said, "Already, the Democratic Party is making absurd attacks on Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party's presidential candidate. In this situation, the only person who can overcome this through messaging is currently former Chairman Kim."

He added, "It is natural for former Chairman Kim to take the position of overall campaign committee chairman," and said, "Candidate Yoon met with former Chairman Kim right after the nomination. I believe there is a lot of common ground."

Candidate Yoon has also built a relationship through multiple communications with former Chairman Kim since entering politics. Kim Kyung-jin, special advisor for external cooperation at Yoon's campaign, emphasized on CBS Radio's 'One Match' on the 25th of last month, "There are talks that the two (Kim Jong-in and Yoon Seok-youl) had dinner on Saturday, and the clear fact is that they talk once or twice a week."

However, within the party, there is also resistance to the 'Kim Jong-in campaign committee overall chairman system.' Lee Jae-oh, senior advisor of the People Power Party, mentioned former Chairman Kim's corruption record on CBS Radio's 'One Match' on the night of the 9th, saying, "Mr. Kim Jong-in is old enough to know whether his involvement in the election would be helpful or not." Former Chairman Kim was sentenced to two years and six months in prison with a four-year probation in 1993 for the Donghwa Bank slush fund case.

Lee further said, "A kingmaker does it once, and to be a true kingmaker, you must share political fate with the king. A kingmaker is not a technician. I hope he understands this and relieves the People Power Party's burden."

Some voters are also expressing fatigue over media reports that Kim Jong-in's entry is imminent. One netizen criticized in a comment, "Kim Jong-in again? A political swindler who even took bribes." Another netizen pointed out, "They say many in their 20s and 30s have left the party, but if Kim Jong-in is brought in, those in their 20s and 30s will turn away even more."

Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, attended the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 8th and received a lucky pouch from Lee Jun-seok, the party leader, before the meeting started, saying it would be helpful for the election. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

Despite some negative assessments, the reason the political world repeatedly turns to former Chairman Kim is because of his brilliant kingmaker track record. Former Chairman Kim led public opinion by putting 'economic democratization' at the forefront during the 2012 presidential election when Park Geun-hye was the candidate, and in 2016, he is credited with leading the Democratic Party to victory in the general election, greatly contributing to President Moon Jae-in's election.

In particular, there is analysis that no one is better suited than 'kingmaker' former Chairman Kim to lead '0-term outsider' Lee and 'political rookie' candidate Yoon with leadership.

Lee, who rose to 'opposition party commander' with overwhelming support from young people, could not avoid criticism of the 'Lee Jun-seok risk.' Even before joining the party, Lee clashed multiple times with Yoon, who was considered a leading presidential candidate, raising questions about his leadership. The so-called 'Two Stone (Lee Jun-seok-Yoon Seok-youl)' conflict between the two escalated in August when Yoon unexpectedly joined the party and did not attend the candidate meeting led by the primary preparation committee.

The recorded conversation dispute with former Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong added fuel to the 'Lee Jun-seok risk.' This was triggered when former Governor Won claimed at the party's supreme council meeting on August 17 that "Lee told me 'Candidate Yoon will be settled quickly.'" On the same night, Lee denied Won's claim and released part of the recording, calming the controversy, but many criticisms about his lack of experience were raised.

Candidate Yoon, who has been in politics for four months, also faced multiple controversies during the primary process, leading to calls for the recruitment of a seasoned aide. Earlier, in July, Yoon caused controversy by criticizing the 52-hour workweek system and mentioning '120 hours of work per week' in an interview with a media outlet. Last month, he visited Busan and referred to former President Chun Doo-hwan, saying, "Except for the military coup and the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement, there are parts he did wrong, but many say he did politics well. People in Honam also say such things," which drew criticism from the Honam region and political circles.

However, it is analyzed that overcoming differences of opinion regarding the campaign committee's composition is key to recruiting former Chairman Kim. Unlike candidate Yoon, who wants to maintain and expand existing camp personnel, former Chairman Kim has set 'full authority' as a precondition. On the 8th, former Chairman Kim appeared on Channel A's YouTube and said, "I need to see a picture of what the campaign committee looks like to decide whether to take the overall campaign chairman position. Candidate Yoon needs to think coldly about the campaign committee's composition."

Regarding this, Kwon Seong-dong, Yoon's chief of staff, corrected on his Facebook on the 9th that reports claiming former Chairman Kim demanded full authority over camp operations as a precondition for launching the 'Kim Jong-in campaign committee system' were not true. He emphasized, "Former Chairman Kim did not say he wanted full authority regarding the campaign committee's composition in conversations with Candidate Yoon."

Meanwhile, experts believe that former Chairman Kim's evaluation as a kingmaker has already been proven in past elections. Political commentator Lee Jong-hoon said, "The People Power Party currently has no choice but to have former Chairman Kim," and analyzed, "The most decisive reason is that Candidate Yoon is a political novice with little political experience."

He added, "(Candidate Yoon) lacks political skills to manage internal party affairs. Therefore, there is a high possibility of factionalism within the People Power Party. Normally, the party leader should manage this, but since even Lee Jun-seok has risks, the only person who can manage this is former Chairman Kim."

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