[Exclusive] 'As Oppa's Nomination Became Difficult'... Kim Seong-dong's Sister Kim Suk-hyang Leaves People Power Party to Join Reform New Party

Daughter of Former National Assembly Speaker Kim Su-han, Sister of Chairman Kim Seong-dong
Former Chairwoman of the People Power Party Central Women's Committee

Kim Suk-hyang, former head of the People Power Party's Central Women's Committee and daughter of former National Assembly Speaker Kim Su-han, is leaving the People Power Party to join Lee Jun-seok's Reform New Party. This move came shortly after Han Dong-hoon, the People Power Party's Emergency Response Committee chairman, officially announced Kim Kyung-ryul's bid for the Seoul Mapo-eul district, effectively delivering a political death sentence to Kim Seong-dong, the party's district chief. Kim Seong-dong, who served as a proportional representative member in the 18th National Assembly, is Kim Suk-hyang's older brother.

The siblings' father, Kim Su-han, is a prominent figure who first won a seat in the 7th National Assembly in 1967 as a member of the New Democratic Party and went on to serve six terms (7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 12th, and 15th National Assemblies), including serving as the Speaker of the 15th National Assembly's first half.

On the 19th, Kim Suk-hyang told Asia Economy in a phone interview, "The current People Power Party is not a party that empowers the people but rather a party that serves as a shield for certain individuals in power," adding, "Now, with the courage to reform, I will help establish the framework for future politics in the Reform New Party."

Kim Sook-hyang, former Chairwoman of the People Power Party Central Women's Committee

Kim said, "Even when I, as the district chief of Dongjak-gap, was dropped from the party without a primary, I chose to put the party before personal interests. However, I will no longer tolerate politics that only show the power of authority rather than empowering the people. I am leaving this party because I want to win. I will take a new path in the youngest and freshest party in the history of the Republic of Korea's constitutional politics."

Meanwhile, she distanced her departure from the nomination controversy between her brother Kim Seong-dong and committee member Kim Kyung-ryul but expressed dissatisfaction, saying, "Han Dong-hoon, the Emergency Response Committee chairman, did something unacceptable."

Earlier, Kim Seong-dong, the Mapo-eul district chief, became a topic of discussion over the general election nomination issue. On the 17th, Han Dong-hoon announced Kim Kyung-ryul's candidacy for Mapo-eul at the Seoul New Year's gathering, which came as a shock to Kim Seong-dong, who had been preparing for the general election. Regarding this, Kim Seong-dong said, "I firmly stated from the beginning that I would never leave the party," but added, "I will raise issues and strive to ensure that nominations are conducted fairly."

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