Ha Tae-kyung: "Im Jong-seok, Let's Settle This in Jongno... Both from Class of '86 and Student Activists"

People Power Party Lawmaker, SBS Radio Interview
"I Will Receive a Midterm Evaluation on Whose Path Is More Right"

Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the People Power Party, proposed on the 1st to former Presidential Chief of Staff Im Jong-seok, "Let's have a showdown in Jongno," saying, "If Im and I, who are from the same academic year and student movement background, face off, it will be a very meaningful election."

On the same day, Ha appeared on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show' and said, "Yesterday, former Chief Im said he would come out to Seoul, and from what I hear from those around him and the media, Im's first-choice district for running is Jongno," adding, "I want to officially propose here, 'Jongseok, let's have a showdown in Jongno.'"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Ha argued that if he faces former Chief Im in Jongno, it would be a meaningful election, as both are from the class of '86 and have backgrounds in the student movement.

Ha said, "We are from the same academic year, the same student movement background, and even worked in the same office before entering the National Assembly, but we have taken different paths since starting politics," adding, "Our generation is becoming the backbone of our society, so it would be good to be evaluated once. It's not that one side is wrong, but I want to ask our society who was relatively more correct, who contributed more significantly to South Korea, and whose path is more right going forward."

He continued, "Former Chief Im and the Democratic Party have very different views on the achievements and faults of former President Park Chung-hee, perceptions of North Korea, and visions for the future, which relate to modern history," and said, "There can be evaluations on who contributed to South Korea's development and the paths taken so far, and I want our generation and seniors and juniors who lived in the same era to give a mid-term evaluation on whose path is better for South Korea's future."

Regarding Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo's criticism of Ha's candidacy, saying "Jongno is not a place for those from the Joo-sa-pa (pro-communist faction)," Ha responded, "If former Chief Im and I run, you might say, 'Jongno is a Joo-sa-pa stronghold,'" adding, "He always takes a special interest in my moves and raises public attention and focus, so I am always grateful."

When asked by the host if he is confident about receiving the nomination in Jongno, Ha replied, "The party mainly says Jongno is not a difficult district, but this is an illusion caused by incumbent lawmaker Choi Jae-hyung's uncontested entry without a Democratic Party candidate at the time," adding, "Currently, the metropolitan area elections are really in trouble."

Ha said, "I discussed with the party and the constituency, and they mostly recommended the Hangang Belt area to me. Most of those districts are more advantageous than Jongno," adding, "The atmosphere in Seoul has been reset to the mood of the last general election, but it is a big misjudgment to still think our party is doing well as before."

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