Kim Jong-in: "Lee Jun-seok and Geum Tae-seop, There Is No Need for Only One Pillar in the Big Tent"

"No Direct Political Intervention"
"Lee Jun-seok's New Party Has Potential for Success in Daegu"

As expectations rise that former leader Lee Jun-seok, who is pushing for a new party, and former lawmaker Geum Tae-seop, who is advocating for a so-called 'big tent' in the third political zone, will promote a 'political big tent,' Kim Jong-in, former emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party who arranged their meeting, said in response to the question of who should be the central figure, "There doesn't need to be only one pillar."

On the 13th, former emergency committee chairman Kim said on KBS's 'Choi Kang Sisa,' "If there are two strong pillars, it can actually gain more strength," adding, "both former leader Lee and former lawmaker Geum can be the center of the big tent."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Although both pursue third-zone politics, they are also evaluated as having disagreements on various political issues related to gender. Regarding this, former emergency committee chairman Kim said, "They may have slightly different orientations, but for the greater good, such minor issues can simply be overcome," and added, "the former lawmaker Geum and former leader Lee, as far as I know, are not unreasonable or extreme people."

He said, "If they set a goal to truly renew Korean politics, then any minor differences in opinion can be overcome, so I think there is no need to be overly concerned about those issues."

However, in response to the host's question about whether he might play a role in the new party, he said, "I will never directly intervene in politics going forward," and added, "If they come to me for advice during the process, I will just give reasonable advice, but I will never tell them what to do or not to do."

Former leader Lee mentions not only Yeongnam but also Gwangju as the center of the new party. Regarding this, Kim said, "It is currently known that former leader Lee is launching the party centered on Daegu and Gyeongbuk, but that depends on where he thinks is the most advantageous region," adding, "Since Gyeongbuk is his hometown, I think he naturally prefers that area."

He continued, "Just like in 2016 when Ahn Cheol-soo successfully ran for election based on Honam as his foundation, I think former leader Lee also has a possibility of success when based in Gyeongbuk or Daegu."

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