Kim Jong-in: "Kim Ki-hyun's '10% Reduction of Lawmakers'? Politicians Need to Correct Their Attitude First"

SBS Radio Interview, Harsh Criticism of Ruling Party's Political Reform Plan
"Kim Gi-hyeon, You Can't Win Elections if You Worry Too Much About Yongsan"

Former People Power Party Emergency Committee Chairman Kim Jong-in criticized People Power Party leader Kim Ki-hyun's proposal to reduce the number of National Assembly members by 30 as a political reform measure, saying, "You should not judge politics based on public opinion polls," and added, "Political reform fundamentally requires politicians to change their attitudes first."

In an interview with SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show' on the 22nd, former Chairman Kim said, "No country talks about reducing or increasing the number of National Assembly members," and pointed out, "Suddenly saying there is nothing else to say and proposing to reduce the number of members by 10%?what does that have to do with the lives of the people?"

Regarding the agenda items mentioned by Leader Kim along with the reduction in the number of members, such as "no work, no pay for National Assembly members" and "waiving immunity from arrest," he responded, "Because the National Assembly is not functioning properly, the general public opinion is that members should not be paid their salaries, and politicians are treating this as if it is some great issue," calling it "the most childish way of thinking in politics."

Former Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, Kim Jong-in. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Former Chairman Kim said, "Both the People Power Party and the Democratic Party have their own platforms and policies about which direction they should lead their parties," and added, "Unless they read those coldly and bring about a change in attitude regarding what should be realized in relation to our reality to capture the hearts of the people, talking about different things day and night is meaningless."

Regarding Leader Kim's actions since taking office, he evaluated, "Neither Leader Kim nor Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party, shows any particularly special moves," and said, "If the goals of next year's general election are not achieved, their political careers will be over, so they should think about what to do as political leaders, but that is not visible at present."

Former Chairman Kim acknowledged, "It is certainly not an easy position because the ruling party leader has to manage the party while watching the president's mood," but criticized, "However, if the ruling party leader watches the president's mood too much, they cannot win elections." He continued, "The party should be able to raise its own voice to some extent," and said, "If the party only follows the president's will, it cannot maintain its vitality."

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