On the Day Kwon Seong-dong Withdrew, Na Kyung-won Posted a Video of 'Motae TK'

Kwon Seong-dong from Gangneung claims original TK
Na Kyung-won from Seoul emphasizes native TK
Political message in Na Kyung-won video draws attention

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] On the 5th, Kwon Seong-dong, a member of the People Power Party and considered the 'original Yoon core insider (Yoon Seok-yeol's key associate),' broke expectations by declaring that he would not run for office. He cited the reason that "if the president's closest aide joins the leadership, it could lead to misunderstandings," but this is interpreted as a 'traffic control' among pro-Yoon faction candidates for party leadership.

De facto Pro-Yoon Traffic Control

On that day at the National Assembly, Representative Kwon declared his non-candidacy, saying, "If I run, it would cause unnecessary misunderstandings that Yoon's mind (尹心, the president Yoon Seok-yeol's intention) influenced the process, which would burden the president's governance, and I accepted public opinion on this."

Yoon's mind, referring to President Yoon Seok-yeol's intentions, has been regarded as a crucial factor that will determine the outcome of the party convention in March. Especially after the convention's primary rules changed to '100% party members' votes,' this possibility increased. Except for former Representative Yoo Seung-min, who is considered a 'non-Yoon (非尹)' leading candidate, each candidate has been appealing their 'pro-Yoon (親尹)' credentials to capture party members' support.

Kwon Seong-dong, a member of the People Power Party, and Jang Je-won attended the study group 'National Sympathy' held at the National Assembly on the 7th, exchanged greetings, and then turned away. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

However, the problem is that this led to an overheated 'Yoon mind marketing,' to the extent that the term 'Yoon mind exploitation' emerged, and pro-Yoon faction candidates for party leadership proliferated. After the disclosure of the president's residence invitations, the atmosphere shifted from presenting the party's vision to focusing on 'who is closer to President Yoon.' Former Representative Yoon Hee-sook appeared on CBS Radio's Park Jae-hong's One-on-One Battle on the 4th and criticized this by saying, "It feels like everyone is fighting over 'who is close to whom.'"

There is also confusion within the party over 'who truly has Yoon's mind.' The dominant interpretation is that the so-called 'Kim-Jang alliance (Kim Ki-hyun - Jang Je-won)' carries Yoon's mind, but Representative Ha Tae-kyung dismissed this by saying, "Denying that Yoon's mind is with the Kim-Jang alliance is absurd since the person who has visited the presidential residence the most is Representative Kwon." It is also known that Representative Ahn Cheol-soo and his spouse, considered part of the 'broad pro-Yoon faction,' were invited to the presidential residence. In this context, Kwon's non-candidacy, who was regarded as the original Yoon core insider, is read as a de facto 'pro-Yoon faction traffic control.'

Na Kyung-won's Meaningful 'Original TK' Video

Immediately after his non-candidacy announcement, Na Kyung-won, Vice Chairperson of the Low Birthrate and Aging Society Committee, posted a meaningful video on social media (SNS). It was taken at the Daegu-Gyeongbuk (TK) New Year's greeting event on the 2nd. At that time, when Representative Kwon emphasized being the 'original TK,' Vice Chairperson Na responded by saying, "I am the original TK," in a video lasting about two minutes.

Her remarks in the video are also meaningful. She said, "Thank you for always silently enduring your losses and thinking for the country. Therefore, I intend to work together so that the Daegu-Gyeongbuk party members and comrades no longer suffer losses." This is effectively a declaration of intent to run for party leader. Vice Chairperson Na, who is currently leading in support rates in polls among party members, has not yet decided to run but frequently expresses her intention to run through SNS.

However, the biggest obstacle to her candidacy remains Yoon's mind. Having held two important positions in this administration since October, including Vice Chairperson of the Low Birthrate and Aging Society Committee and Climate Ambassador, resigning from these posts just two months after appointment to run for party leader would not look good and could damage the authority of President Yoon, who appointed her.

Lee Jae-oh, an advisor to the People Power Party, said on CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "She holds two public offices, both appointed by President Yoon. The appointing authority probably said she wouldn't run for party leader when appointing her, but if she resigns less than two months after appointment to run, the appointing authority becomes very ridiculous, and its authority is damaged." Seemingly aware of this, Vice Chairperson Na explained on KBS's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs' on the 3rd, "Since the president entrusted me with population issues, I think I need to have sufficient discussions on this matter."

In this situation, depending on the direction of Yoon's mind, she also has the possibility of being 'traffic controlled.' President Yoon, who invited Representative Ahn and his spouse to the presidential residence, is also expected to invite Vice Chairperson Na and her spouse soon. Ultimately, Vice Chairperson Na is likely to confirm Yoon's mind in some form and make a final decision on her candidacy. From this perspective, Vice Chairperson Na's 'original TK' video can also be interpreted as a declaration of her determination not to be traffic controlled.

Meanwhile, on the same day, Representative Yoon Sang-hyun of the People Power Party officially declared his candidacy for party leader at a kickoff rally in front of former President Park Chung-hee's birthplace in Sangmo-dong, Gumi City, Gyeongbuk. Although Yoon's support rate varies slightly across polls, it is lower than that of Representative Kwon, who declared non-candidacy that day.

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