Yoon Appoints Kim Han-gil as Chair of National Unity Committee... Connection Since 2013

During the Election Process, Also Served as Chairman of the New Era Preparation Committee to Support President-Elect Yoon

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol (right) and former New Politics Alliance for Democracy leader Kim Han-gil (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Bo-ryeong] Former New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) leader Kim Han-gil was appointed as the Chair of the National Integration Committee under President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol's Presidential Transition Committee on the 14th.

On the morning of the 14th, at his office in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, President-elect Yoon said in his opening remarks before a meeting with Ahn Cheol-soo, the Chair of the Transition Committee, "I asked former leader Kim to take charge of the National Integration Committee, and Professor Kim Byung-joon of Kookmin University to lead the Special Committee on Regional Balanced Development, and they have both agreed."

President-elect Yoon described former leader Kim as "someone who can embrace generations and social classes and achieve national integration."

Kim entered politics in 1995 at the recommendation of the late former President Kim Dae-jung. He served as a four-term member of the National Assembly in the 15th, 16th, 17th, and 19th sessions.

He held positions such as Chief of Policy Planning at the Blue House and Minister of Culture and Tourism during the government of the People's Government. In the 2002 presidential election, he served as the head of the media election strategy headquarters for then-candidate Roh Moo-hyun's campaign, successfully orchestrating the unification of the 'Roh Moo-hyun - Chung Mong-joon' candidacies, earning him the nickname "strategic planner."

In 2013, he was elected as the leader of the Democratic Party at the party convention, and in 2014, together with Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People's Party, he founded the New Politics Alliance for Democracy.

As a member of the non-Roh (anti-Roh Moo-hyun) faction within the Democratic Party, he experienced conflicts with the pro-Roh and pro-Moon (pro-Moon Jae-in) factions, eventually leaving the Democratic Party in 2016 to join the People's Party. During the 2017 presidential election, he supported Ahn Cheol-soo, then the People's Party candidate.

The connection between former leader Kim and President-elect Yoon dates back to 2013. They maintained ties through the National Assembly audit. When Yoon, then head of the Yeoju branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, led the investigation into the National Intelligence Service's online comment manipulation scandal and exposed pressure on the investigation, causing a stir and his removal from the investigation team, Kim reportedly stepped in to support him.

During the presidential election process, former leader Kim also supported President-elect Yoon's campaign. He served as the Chair of the New Era Preparation Committee directly under the candidate, working to expand the coalition by bringing in former Democratic Party members and figures from the Honam region.

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