Gaeddal: "Why is only Kim Nam-guk being scolded... It's because he can multitask," they defend.

"After Years of Pain, 'Democratic Party Will Become Hope'"
Politician Who Criticized Kim Nam-guk Mocked as "Young Watermelon"

‘Gaeddal’ (Daughters of Reform), the strong supporter group of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, came to the defense of lawmaker Kim Nam-guk, who left the Democratic Party amid controversy over his large virtual asset holdings.

Kim, a junior from Lee’s university, served as Lee’s chief of staff during the last presidential election. He is also a member of the original close-knit group called the ‘7-in Club.’ As evaluations emerged that Lee’s favoritism toward his own people ultimately led to a delayed response, shaking Lee Jae-myung’s leadership, the Gaeddal stepped in.

Independent lawmaker Kim Nam-guk [Photo by Yonhap News]

According to the Democratic Party’s National Response Center on the 17th, a petition titled “We Democratic Party members do not want lawmaker Kim Nam-guk to be expelled” was posted and garnered nearly 13,000 signatures. This petition was posted on the 12th, before Kim submitted his resignation from the party.

The petitioner stated, “Lawmaker Kim invested legally as a citizen of the Republic of Korea and earned profits from it. Demanding his expulsion on the grounds of the relative deprivation felt by young people is an excessive measure.”

Earlier, a petition was also posted at the National Response Center demanding the removal of positions from the Democratic Party’s National University Student Committee, which criticized Kim’s ‘all-in investment’ for causing feelings of deprivation among youth. The petitioner claimed, “The committee used an ongoing fact-finding investigation as a political tool for their own recognition,” and called for the removal of the committee chairpersons. This petition received nearly 20,000 signatures.

Previously, the University Student Committee held a ‘Press Conference Urging Party Reform’ regarding this incident, criticizing, “Kim, who claimed to be a young politician, caused feelings of deprivation among youth through his ‘all-in’ cryptocurrency investment.”

On Lee’s fan cafe, ‘Jaemyung’s Village,’ many posts supporting Kim Nam-guk have been posted. One member argued, “Why is only Kim Nam-guk being scolded? If Kim invested in coins during work, that would be wrong. But since he can multitask, he probably did both.”

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Another member defended Kim, saying, “Kim Nam-guk is the only one who protected Leader Lee Jae-myung. When no one was beside Leader Lee, Kim was with him from beginning to end. Even now.” Additionally, there were claims such as, “The fact that this issue became a media play means there’s nothing else to pick on. The process will be painful, but I believe that when time passes, he can grow into Lee Jang’s Season 2 and the hope of the Democratic Party.”

The Gaeddal also mocked the eight young politicians who held a ‘Democratic Party Reform Press Conference’ condemning Kim as ‘young watermelons’ (a Korean slang term implying immaturity).

Regarding these moves by the Gaeddal, former Democratic Party emergency committee member Park Ji-hyun wrote on Facebook, “Open violence is happening within the party, so what exactly is (Lee Jae-myung) leader doing?” She added, “One of the attacked youths said, ‘It feels like someone has to die for this to end,’ trembling in fear, and posts trying to expose the youths’ positions are circulating. Disband the faction protecting Kim, and firmly cut off the fanatical fandom politics supporting him.”

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