Notification of Bottom 10% Kim Han-jung: "The Reconsideration Request Was Formal, No Procedures Were Followed"

Rep. Kim: "System Nomination Is Broken... I Will Hold a Primary Even If It's Disadvantageous"

Kim Han-jung, Chair of the National Crisis Overcoming Committee, is delivering opening remarks at the National Crisis Overcoming K-New Deal Committee Childcare Task Force Party-Government Meeting held at the National Assembly on the 23rd. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Rep. Kim Han-jung, who was notified by the Democratic Party’s Nomination Management Committee that he ranked in the bottom 10%, revealed that even his appeal was rejected, stating, “As far as I know, there was no formal appeal committee or procedure.”

On the 23rd, Rep. Kim appeared on the radio program ‘KBS Jeon Jong-cheol’s Jeonggyeok Sisa’ and said, “I submitted an appeal according to the party’s established procedures, but it was a system review, and there was no form for the appeal. I also requested to review the materials, but there was no response.” He added, “I asked for an opportunity to understand which parts were problematic and why I was judged to be in the lower ranks, but there was no answer. Then I received a text message asking me to send explanatory materials, so I asked what parts I should clarify, but there was no reply. The next day, I was immediately notified of the rejection.”

He said, “Being judged in the bottom 10% is similar to a death sentence for a politician,” adding, “It is a fatal blow to those preparing for the primary election and causes them to be treated like failing students.” Regarding the Democratic Party’s system nomination, he said, “The system is broken. Its flaws have been exposed, and this is not just my personal issue. Although the party leadership’s evaluation of lawmakers gave failing grades, I am confident that not many people in the local areas believe that.”

He also expressed his intention to complete the primary election. He said, “Since the Democratic Party is a democratic party, I have the duty to correct any defects or failures in the democratic process. I will face the disadvantages boldly, respond confidently, and overcome this head-on.”

Meanwhile, since the 19th, the party’s Nomination Management Committee has begun individually notifying lawmakers ranked in the ‘bottom 20%,’ and those notified are coming forward one after another. As of today, six lawmakers, including Rep. Kim Han-jung, Kim Young-joo, Park Young-soon, Park Yong-jin, Song Gap-seok, and Yoon Young-chan, have publicly disclosed their bottom-tier notification. Lawmakers in the ‘bottom 10%’ receive a 30% deduction in primary votes, while those in the ‘bottom 20%’ receive a 20% penalty deduction.

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