Lee Jae-myung's Closest Aide Kim Byung-wook Withdraws from Seongnam Mayoral Race... "Only Prosecutor Issues Are Visible"

"'Time to Create Policies for 'Minsheng', But All About Prosecution Issues'
Min Hyung-bae's Party Resignation, Disrespecting the Noble Values of Democracy
'Will Focus on Legislative Activities Without Running for Election'"

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] Kim Byung-wook, considered one of the closest aides to Lee Jae-myung, the Senior Advisor of the Democratic Party of Korea, declared on the 21st that he would "focus on legislative activities for the livelihood of the people" and announced that he would not run for mayor of Seongnam.

Kim Byung-wook, Head of the Functional Headquarters of the Democratic Party's Presidential Campaign Committee. / Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

On the same day, Kim said on Facebook, "Many people have shown affectionate interest and advice regarding whether I would run for mayor of Seongnam. I am truly grateful," adding, "I will not run in this Seongnam mayoral election and will focus on legislative activities for the livelihood of the people."

The Democratic Party designated Seongnam City in Gyeonggi Province as a "strategic electoral district" for the June 1 local elections on the 20th and decided to strategically nominate a candidate for mayor of Seongnam. This is due to the "symbolism" Seongnam holds, as it is considered the political hometown of Senior Advisor Lee. Lee served as mayor of Seongnam from 2010 to 2017. Regarding the strategic nomination, there were talks that Kim, a member of the '7-inhoe' group, which is Lee’s closest circle, might be drafted.

However, on this day, Kim said, "After listening to many people and reflecting, I thought deeply about the role of 'politics.' I took this as an opportunity to self-reflect, asking myself whether I am truly centering my activities on the people," adding, "I will move forward by humbly listening to the voices of the people and deeply considering the role of politics for the people." He explained that instead of running in the June local elections, he would devote himself to legislative activities in the National Assembly to continue politics for the livelihood of the people.

He said, "As a Democratic Party lawmaker, I also find the current state of our party truly regrettable and frustrating," adding, "There are numerous issues to be resolved, such as real estate tax problems, price inflation, and COVID-19 measures. Yet, at a time when we should be putting our heads together to create policies for the 'livelihood,' all we see are prosecution-related issues."

Regarding the Democratic Party’s push to forcibly pass the 'Geomsu Wanbak' (complete removal of prosecution’s investigative authority), he criticized, "Yesterday, Representative Min Hyung-bae left the party. This is an inappropriate act that encapsulates all the criticisms our party has faced, such as double standards politics, vested interest politics, and trick politics." Kim emphasized, "Reforming the prosecution cannot be achieved this way, and it only desecrates the noble democratic values our party has pursued so far. Now is the time for our party to take time and carefully reflect on what the problems are."

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