Kim Jong-min "Lee Jae-myung has time, but not much left"

Jongmin Kim, KBS Radio Interview
"If Lee Jae-myung Is Perceived as a Bulletproof Party, Recovery Will Be Difficult"

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, has been addressing his judicial risks through his livelihood-focused activities, while Kim Jong-min, a Democratic Party lawmaker classified as part of the non-Lee Jae-myung faction (Bi-Lee Jae-myung faction), pointed out that "everything is buried under the 'bulletproof party' and no voices can be heard."

On the 9th, Representative Kim appeared on KBS Radio's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strongest Current Affairs' and expressed concern about the Democratic Party being perceived as the 'Lee Jae-myung bulletproof party,' saying, "With the general election just a year away, overall, lawmakers and the party internally have many concerns."

Kim said, "(Leader Lee) should have considered the public's perspective and found ways to respond to it," adding, "I believe efforts should have been made to present solutions and engage in dialogue, but in the end, what remained was 'Let's go as a united front.'"

Kim Jong-min, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

He continued, "If you unite by saying 'Leader Lee Jae-myung is innocent' or 'These facts are incorrect,' would that really be good unity for the people?" and said, "Leader Lee needs to reflect on these issues."

Kim also mentioned Leader Lee's waiver of parliamentary immunity as a breakthrough to the criticism of the 'bulletproof party.' He said, "Our party supporters naturally protect the party leader we elected," but added, "However, from the perspective of the general public, there is a sentiment of 'We don't know if he's guilty or innocent, but try it once properly without any privileges.'

He went on, "If he puts down some shield and undergoes investigation, the public might really think that the Yoon Seok-youl government is oppressing him unfairly or overreaching," and added, "If leadership is exercised or some response is made in such situations, I believe a path can be created in this situation."

He said, "Leader Lee still has time, but not much left," and noted, "If this issue is not somewhat resolved within the first half of this year, the Democratic Party will be perceived by the moderate public as the 'Lee Jae-myung bulletproof party' or 'Lee Jae-myung's personal party,' and it will be difficult to recover until the general election."

Furthermore, regarding the view that the party could face a crisis if the Lee Jae-myung leadership collapses, he said, "The issue is whether the party has the energy to unite, gather, and innovate as one," and criticized, "Relying on one individual to lead the party or approach elections is anachronistic."

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