'Youth' Kim Jisoo to Run for Democratic Party Leader... "Will Talk About the 'Future'"

Kim "Representing Future Generations, I Overcame Fear"
"We Must Encourage Young Candidates to Challenge Politics"

Kim Ji-soo, the representative of the Korea Peninsula Future Economy Forum, has announced his candidacy for the party leader position at the August 18 National Party Members' Convention (Party Convention) to elect the next leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea. He is a young, non-incumbent figure born in 1986.

On the afternoon of the 10th, at the Democratic Party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, candidate Kim stated, "I came to talk about countless future stories that might not be mentioned if I do not challenge this party convention," adding, "A party that does not consider the future literally has no future." He continued, "I am running for party leader, risking fear, to represent the future generation," and expressed his sincere hope that "my challenge will become a small but significant wave for the Democratic Party and the Republic of Korea." He also added, "We had to ask how the Democratic Party will take responsibility for the lives of future generations and how it will bring about changes for growth in the future."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Candidate Kim said, "Currently, our politics is so obsessed with fighting immediate enemies that it has no capacity to look into the lives of the people who have willingly given up the future," and "While politicians are engaged in mudslinging battles, our lives have become impoverished." He also stated, "Any political party has become a battlefield where there is no reason to support." Furthermore, he emphasized, "The reason we (the Democratic Party) lost in the presidential election was because we failed to gain the support of the future generation," and "If we do not sincerely solve the problems of the future generation, no matter who becomes the presidential candidate, victory cannot be guaranteed."

Candidate Kim prioritized creating an environment where political newcomers can challenge politics. After declaring his candidacy, he told reporters, "I play a good role in supporting challengers," and argued, "There is a kind of 'political gaslighting' where newcomers are told to gain experience and 'stay longer'." He added, "We need to promote challenges by informing first-time candidates about election laws and marketing strategies," and "Young candidates should be encouraged to bring various agendas and challenge politics."

Kim also criticized the Democratic Party's Supreme Council member election, which was 'unified' under candidate Lee Jae-myung. He said, "If you look at the current Supreme Council election, many candidates are running and have unified, right?" and "Many are afraid of former leader Lee Jae-myung." Additionally, he stated, "The history of the Democratic Party so far has been about challenging and fighting the vested interests," and "Anyone who wants to govern should challenge, not to criticize others." He further added, "The position of party leader or Supreme Council member is not that important to me," and "The goal of a politician is to spread the message they want to deliver to the world."

Candidate Kim joined the Democratic Party as a member in 2020 and also ran for the Supreme Council member position in 2022.

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