Na Kyung-won: "Kim Tae-woo Deserves Nomination... He Was Wrongly Convicted"

"Kim Tae-woo Reveals Ministry of Environment Blacklist and Convicted Prisoner Bribery"
"Past Faces? The People Will Decide"

Former Seoul Gangseo District Mayor Kim Tae-woo, who was convicted of leaking secrets learned in the course of official duties to the media during the Moon Jae-in administration's alleged cover-up of an inspection, and later pardoned in the Liberation Day amnesty, is at the center of the People Power Party's deliberations on whether to nominate him for the Gangseo District mayoral by-election this October. Amid these discussions, senior party member and former lawmaker Na Kyung-won raised her voice, saying, "It is right to nominate him."

On the 7th, former lawmaker Na said on YTN's 'News King Park Ji-hoon' program, "From the beginning, Kim was truly wrongfully sentenced," expressing her stance.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Former Mayor Kim was prosecuted for leaking secrets learned in the course of official duties to the media after exposing allegations related to the Blue House's Civil Affairs Office Special Inspection Team in 2018. In May of this year, the Supreme Court confirmed a sentence of one year in prison with a two-year probation, resulting in the loss of his mayoral position. Although the Liberation Day pardon allows him to run in the October by-election, there are criticisms suggesting that President Yoon Suk-yeol effectively paved the way for his re-election through the pardon.

Former lawmaker Na said, "When I was the floor leader, the first incident I encountered was Kim's conscience declaration as a member of the Blue House Special Inspection Team," adding, "If it weren't for Kim, the Environmental Minister blacklist incident would never have come to light. The Environmental Minister eventually received a prison sentence, and we were the ones who reported it."

She continued, "Also, if it weren't for Kim, the bribery case involving former Busan Mayor Yoo Jae-soo would not have been revealed," and said, "Therefore, I believe the argument that 'this by-election is due to our fault' is not correct." This appears to refer to criticisms from some within the ruling party that it is inappropriate for the People Power Party to field a candidate in a by-election caused by their own mistakes.

Former lawmaker Na said, "I believe it is right to nominate him both for the restoration of Kim's honor and for the realization of justice, and I am confident that the residents of Gangseo District will make a good judgment."

Amid speculation about former lawmaker Na's candidacy ahead of next year's general election, former People Power Party emergency committee chairman Kim Jong-in gave a low evaluation, referring to Na and others as 'faces of the past.' In response, Na said, "I believe the people will judge that, and I intend to work solely for the people, especially the residents and voters of Dongjak District."

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