Kim Jong-in "Personnel Reshuffle" vs Yoon Seok-yeol Side "Not Exclusion but Integration"... Difficulty in Forming the Campaign Committee (Comprehensive)

Demand for Personnel Reshuffle in the Presidential Campaign Committee
Yoon's Side: "We Will Pursue Inclusive Politics Without Exclusion"

[Asia Economy reporters Naju-seok and Park Joon-yi] The composition of the People Power Party’s election campaign committee is struggling to find its way amid two crossroads: ‘reform’ and ‘integration.’ Former Emergency Committee Chairman Kim Jong-in, who is being considered for the position of overall campaign committee chairman, demands personnel reform citing innovation, while candidate Yoon’s side mentions ‘addition’ and appears unwilling to give up on the theory of integration.

On the morning of the 12th, former Chairman Kim said in a radio interview, "If I were to give personal advice to Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party’s presidential candidate, success cannot be achieved by being too obsessed with people. You need to make cold, rational judgments to gain trust from the public." He added, "If you say you will do new politics but end up surrounded by past politicians, it is only natural to have concerns," and "You need to recognize that the presidential election is not something to be taken lightly or easily."

Public attention is focused on whether former Chairman Kim will participate in the campaign committee, and regarding this, he said, "I cannot play the role of a straw man." Although he denied reports that he demanded full authority over the campaign committee’s composition, he made it clear that he would only move forward if the conditions to carry out his intentions were provided.

However, candidate Yoon’s side still maintains the position that it is necessary to favor or accommodate existing figures who have been with him throughout the primary process. Kim Byung-min, spokesperson for the People Power Party’s election campaign committee, said on the same day, "We will strive for ‘politics of integration and addition,’ not ‘politics of subtraction’ that excludes someone." This is interpreted as an intention to include as many people as possible, including those from the existing campaign.

Amid this confusing situation, conflicting forecasts continue to emerge regarding the campaign committee appointments. For now, candidate Yoon is accelerating the appointment process together with Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party. It is reported that both a ‘one-top system’ with former Chairman Kim and a ‘two-top system’ with former Emergency Committee Chairman Kim Byung-joon are being discussed. If former Chairman Kim takes charge alone, there is a possibility that former Chairman Kim Byung-joon will be assigned another position.

Next, candidates for the position of overall campaign headquarters chief include former Presidential Chief of Staff Lim Tae-hee and People Power Party lawmaker Kwon Young-se. The overall campaign headquarters chief is a position that effectively holds real power under the overall campaign committee chairman. While deliberating on who to appoint, methods such as assigning the overall campaign headquarters chief and secretary-general separately or having co-heads of the campaign headquarters are reportedly being considered.

In political circles, attention is also focused on the fate of camp members whom former Chairman Kim referred to as ‘parisette.’ Although opposition from former Chairman Kim is expected, there is speculation that it will be difficult to exclude them since they were key figures in candidate Yoon’s camp.

The campaign committee appointments are expected to proceed rapidly around this weekend. This is because the decision on whether former Chairman Kim will join must be made before the originally scheduled launch date of the campaign committee on the 20th.

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