Kim Gi-hyeon Starts Making Authentic 'Yeonpotang'... Love Call to Non-Assembly Party Branch Chairperson

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Although Kim Ki-hyun, a ruling party presidential candidate who recorded first place in the party opinion poll as part of the 'Kim-Jang Alliance (Kim Ki-hyun-Jang Je-won),' is evaluated as lacking 'centrist expansion,' he sent a love call to the non-incumbent party branch chiefs, saying he would "create regional party-government policy budget cooperation committees."

On the 18th, Kim said through his social networking service (SNS), "Next year's general election is not far away. I will value people highly."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He added, "The beginning and end of election preparation is people's livelihood. People's livelihood cannot be taken care of alone. Especially, the party branch chiefs, who are the regional field commanders, must take the lead," and promised, "I will take the lead in laying stepping stones. I will establish a special organization centered on non-incumbent party branch chiefs who have been marginalized in policy, budget, and civil complaint consultations."

He intends to create regional party-government policy budget cooperation committees directly under the party leader to communicate more closely with the party branch chiefs. He emphasized, "Once this committee is formed, it will raise the status of non-incumbent party branch chiefs of the ruling party," and "It will be the starting point for regaining regional public sentiment and winning the general election."

Kim seemed conscious of criticism that he lacks 'metropolitan area expansion,' saying, "Out of the 253 National Assembly constituency seats, 121 are in the metropolitan area. However, our party holds only 17 of these seats," and added, "This is why the regional party-government policy budget cooperation committees are urgently needed." By establishing the committee, he plans to support party branches and prepare more actively for elections in the metropolitan area.

Kim's love call to non-incumbent party branch chiefs is interpreted as an attempt to propose policies beneficial to the party rather than appealing to 'Yunism (Yun-sim).' It also appears to consider the internal opposition to the 'Kim-Jang Alliance.' Hong Moon-pyo, the oldest member of the party, expressed concern on BBS's 'Jeon Young-shin's Morning Journal' that "Many people feel regretful about whether such a method was really necessary."

Since Kim has already secured a relatively comfortable position by recording first place in internal party support, it can also be interpreted that he is distancing himself from the 'Kim-Jang Alliance' and moving toward centrist expansion based on 'Yeonpotang (Alliance, Inclusion, Balance).' On the morning of the same day, Kim emphasized on KBS's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs,' "We must build our party through alliance, inclusion, and integration. Throughout my past political activities, I have always practiced politics that neither excludes nor leaves anyone out. It is not subtraction, nor addition, but multiplication politics."

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