Kim Byung-min: "I Want to Retract the Text Saying 'Respect Ha Tae-kyung'"

On the 27th, Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the People Power Party, declared his candidacy for Jongno District in next year's general election, where an incumbent People Power Party lawmaker is currently serving. In response, Kim Byung-min, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, criticized, saying, "It is very regrettable because it seems that Ha's political plan is going in a completely opposite direction."

On the 28th, during Channel A's radio show 'Political Signal,' Supreme Council member Kim said, "When Ha said he would run in a tough district in the metropolitan area, I immediately sent a text saying, 'I respect you, Congressman.' But now, I want to send a message saying, 'I cancel that text.'"

Kim Byung-min, Supreme Council Member of the People Power Party, is coming out after a meeting with Representative Kim Ki-hyun at the party leader's office in the National Assembly on the 13th. Representative Kim Ki-hyun canceled the scheduled emergency Supreme Council meeting that day and held individual meetings with the Supreme Council members. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The day before, Ha declared his candidacy at the National Assembly Members' Office Building, stating, "Our party, the People Power Party, should not remain confined to support from Yeongnam but should expand its base to the metropolitan area," and added, "The primary condition for winning the metropolitan area general election is to hold Jongno." However, criticism has arisen because Jongno is currently represented by Choi Jae-hyung, an incumbent People Power Party lawmaker.

Supreme Council member Kim said, "The message Ha conveyed was that if I run in Busan, we just maintain one seat, but even if I leave Haeundae in Busan, a young and fresh figure will take that seat, so we still keep one seat. And if I go and take a seat currently held by the Democratic Party, our party gains two seats. Ha has really been impressive to the point of giving me goosebumps. I mentioned somewhere before, but now he is talking about running in Jongno, and honestly, it is not very convincing."

Ha also insisted on MBC Radio that "Jongno is a tough district," but Supreme Council member Kim holds the view that Jongno is not a tough district. He said, "Among nearly 40 constituencies, is Jongno the only place where Ha can sharply confront the Democratic Party and lead all issues? Jongno is a casting vote district and a battleground for prominent presidential candidates, but among the 49 districts in Seoul, it is a place where conservative tendencies are above the median."

He added, "The moment Ha's courageous decision is framed as him seeking the most advantageous district to secure another term as a lawmaker, both Ha and the People Power Party will face difficulties. Since the possibility is still open, I offer my heartfelt advice that he should revive the fundamental original intention of going to a tough district in the metropolitan area with a fresh mindset."

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