Kwon Young-se "Similar to Kim Nam-guk? Completely different except for having done cryptocurrency"

"Won Hee-ryong, Choo Kyung-ho, Park Min-sik Likely to Step Forward"
"Lee Jun-seok's Nomination Partly His Own Fault"

Amid the rejection of the expulsion proposal against Rep. Kim Nam-guk, who left the Democratic Party of Korea amid suspicions of multi-billion won cryptocurrency transactions, due to unanimous opposition from Democratic Party members on the National Assembly Ethics Special Committee, Rep. Kwon Young-se of the People Power Party drew a line, stating, "Apart from the fact that Rep. Kim and I traded coins, everything else is completely different," in response to the Democratic Party's claim that "Rep. Kwon, who traded coins 400 times, should be held to the same standard."

On the 31st, Rep. Kwon said on SBS's 'Kim Taehyun's Political Show,' "Especially in the Ethics Advisory Committee recommended by the opposition party, the ethics chairman recommended expulsion for Rep. Kim, but took no action against me, saying there was no problem," emphasizing this point.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, the National Assembly Ethics Review Advisory Committee reported that 11 lawmakers, including Rep. Kim who was recommended for expulsion, had declared owning or trading virtual assets. Among them, Rep. Kwon and Rep. Kim Hong-gul of the Democratic Party were found to have cumulative investments exceeding 1 billion won. Rep. Kwon said, "Trying to lump them together on the same level is inappropriate," adding, "Democratic Party's Rep. Kim Hong-gul is much more severe, but they did not file a complaint there and only filed against me, which is a political gesture."

Within the People Power Party, as the 'capital region crisis theory' rapidly rises ahead of the general election, the role of senior members is also being discussed. When asked by the host if he would be willing to take on the role of head of talent recruitment if offered, Rep. Kwon said, "I separately met with Representative Kim Ki-hyun and told him that if there is a role I can play, I am willing to take on any role," adding, "Regarding talent recruitment, I believe all our capital region lawmakers, and even all our lawmakers overall, are each talent recruitment heads, and if there are good talents around, we need to actively recommend them."

Regarding the potential candidacies of Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon and Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong, he said, "Minister Han seems to be reserved for now, but ultimately it is his decision," adding, "Ministers Won, Choo Kyung-ho (Ministry of Economy and Finance), and recently rising star Minister Park Min-sik (Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs) are likely to have intentions to run."

On the issue of former Representative Lee Jun-seok's nomination in Nowon-byeong, he said, "If such people criticize the party with harsh words for the sake of the party's success, it should not be a reason to deny their nomination," but also added, "If the tone continues as if they wish failure for the party or government, it is not easy for the party to view it positively. They are partly to blame." This can be interpreted as indicating difficulty in granting the nomination.

When asked if he thought the remarks by former Representative Lee and former Representative Yoo Seung-min crossed the line, he said, "There are honestly some precarious parts," but also said, "If our people decide that those remarks are constructive criticism meant for the party's success, it can be positively considered, but if not, it is inevitable within the party."

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