'Ottugi' Kim Jae-won, Political Career Faces Another Crisis... Independent Candidacy Rumors 'Circulate'

Kim Jae-won's Controversy Aimed at Rallying Far-Right Forces
One-Year Party Membership Suspension Makes Next Year's Nomination Impossible
Political Circles: "If He Does Not Run in Next Year's General Election, Political Comeback Will Be Difficult"

‘Clever strategist’, ‘tactician’. These are nicknames for Kim Jae-won, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party. This is due to his spectacular comeback after overcoming several political crises, including the ‘nomination massacre’. Recently, Kim faced a political threat again after receiving a ‘one-year suspension of party membership’ penalty for his ‘far-right’ remarks. He announced that he would not file an appeal or injunction lawsuit against this penalty. However, he stated, “I will continue to find ways to contribute to the party and the country,” drawing attention to his future political moves.

According to political circles on the 19th, the People Power Party’s Central Ethics Committee imposed a ‘one-year suspension of party membership’ penalty on Kim on the 10th. This effectively makes it impossible for Kim to receive the party’s nomination in the 22nd National Assembly general election scheduled for April next year.

Will he make a comeback by running as an independent in next year’s general election?

Kim said on his Facebook, “I am only filled with regret toward the party members and citizens who supported me,” adding, “I will continue to find ways to contribute to our party and country.” On the 16th, he also emphasized, “I am simply taking time to gather myself and prepare in various ways,” and “I have not even considered filing an appeal or injunction lawsuit against the one-year suspension penalty.” This is interpreted as his acceptance of the Ethics Committee’s disciplinary decision.

Since attending a talk show titled ‘The People Ask. Kim Jae-won Answers’ organized by supporters near Ilsan Hosu Park in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province on the 14th, he has remained low-profile. A close aide of Kim said, “He is only meeting with acquaintances around him,” and “There are no plans for the time being.”

Kim Jae-won, Supreme Council Member of the People Power Party, is attending the Ethics Committee held at the People Power Party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul on the 8th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Political circles are cautiously speculating that Kim might run as an independent candidate in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk (TK) region. This is because after being excluded from the nomination in the 21st general election and spending four years outside the National Assembly, it could be difficult for him to make a political comeback if he does not run in this election. Political commentator Hwang Tae-soon said, “If Kim does not win in this election, I believe his political career will be over,” adding, “He has already been outside the Assembly for four years, and if he spends another four years outside, no one will seek him out, and by 2028, he will be in his mid-60s, making survival difficult.”

There have been several cases where candidates who failed to receive party nominations ran as independents and won, later rejoining the party, which supports the possibility of Kim running as an independent. For example, in the 20th general election, lawmakers Yoo Seung-min and Joo Ho-young, who were excluded from nominations, ran as independents in Daegu, won, and returned to the Saenuri Party. In the 21st general election, lawmakers Kwon Seong-dong and Yoon Sang-hyun also left the party, won as independents, and rejoined. Political commentator Park Sang-byeong explained, “(Kim) is currently keeping quiet and enduring, but around the end of this year when nomination talks begin, his supporters might demand he run as an independent,” adding, “It means leaving the beloved People Power Party according to public sentiment and returning alive.”

Ups and downs in political life... ‘Resilient Kim Jae-won’

However, some believe that Kim is unlikely to leave the party. Kim, a former prosecutor, entered the National Assembly in 2004 by winning the Gunwi-Uiseong-Cheongsong district in the 17th general election and, despite being excluded from nominations several times, has never left the party.

In 2007, during the 17th presidential election primary of the Grand National Party, Kim served as the spokesperson for Park Geun-hye’s campaign and was classified as a key figure in the pro-Park faction. Because of this, he became a target of the ‘nomination massacre’ by the pro-Lee (pro-Lee Myung-bak) faction in the 18th general election in 2008. Most of the pro-Park faction left the party and formed a new party called the ‘Pro-Park Alliance’ to run in the election. However, Kim accepted the results, went to China, and worked as a research scholar at the Graduate School of International Studies at Peking University.

In the 19th general election in 2012, Kim ran as a Saenuri Party candidate and won again in the same district, returning to the National Assembly. He held key positions within the party, including secretary of the National Assembly’s Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock, and Food Committee, and served as a special political advisor to the Blue House during the Park Geun-hye administration in 2015. In the 20th general election in 2016, due to redistricting, his district merged with Sangju, and he lost the party primary, facing another political crisis.

However, in June of the same year, he was appointed Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Blue House, marking a spectacular comeback. The following year, he was nominated as the Liberty Korea Party candidate for the Sangju-Gunwi-Uiseong-Cheongsong by-election and won. Although Kim was indicted by prosecutors on charges of receiving National Intelligence Service special activity funds during the Park Geun-hye impeachment scandal, he was acquitted in court and was elected chairman of the National Assembly’s Budget and Accounts Special Committee in 2019.

Kim’s crises and comebacks continued until recently. In the 21st general election in 2020, he challenged the Jungnang-gap district in Seoul but lost in the party primary. Instead, he was elected as a Supreme Council member at the 2021 party convention and became the senior Supreme Council member with a 17.55% vote share at the March 8 party convention. A close aide said, “Although he was excluded from nominations several times, he has never disobeyed the party or left it,” adding, “That is his nature, and he will continue with that stance.”

'Opposition to enshrining the May 18 spirit in the Constitution' and other far-right remarks, aiming to rally support

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Right after entering the leadership at the March 8 party convention, Kim attended a worship service at Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon’s Sarang Jeil Church and made remarks implying that the May 18 spirit cannot be enshrined in the Constitution. This drew criticism even within the party, and Kim apologized. However, two weeks later, at a lecture hosted by a Korean conservative group in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, he said, “Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon has unified the right-wing camp,” stirring controversy again. Regarding the Jeju 4.3 Incident, he also disparaged it as a “low-level memorial day,” which eventually led to the Ethics Committee’s disciplinary action.

Inside and outside the party, Kim’s remarks were interpreted as attempts to establish a political base. The idea is to create a solid support base by rallying far-right supporters through such messages. Pastor Jeon and Kim are both from Uiseong, Gyeongbuk, and are hometown seniors and juniors. Before the party convention, Kim appeared on the stage of the ‘March 1st National Rally’ organized by Pastor Jeon. At that time, Pastor Jeon called Kim “our hope.” Kim also appealed for support, saying, “If I become a Supreme Council member, I will work hand in hand with our respected patriotic citizens so that our People Power Party can move forward together.”

Political commentator Park Sang-byeong said, “Kim’s far-right remarks at Sarang Jeil Church and in the U.S. were deliberately made to gain votes from ‘hardline conservatives,’” adding, “That is the sentiment in Daegu-Gyeongbuk (TK).” Political commentator Lee Jong-hoon also said, “Looking at Kim’s support base, it can be seen as far-right,” and “Thanks to that tendency, he became a Supreme Council member, so he maintains his color.”

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