Han Donghoon Mourns the Late Jin Kim: "A Patriot with Insight and Courage... Rest in Peace, My Brother"

Conservative Commentator Jin Kim Passes Away at 66
Han: "He Attended a Protest Rally in Response to My Expulsion from the Opposition"

Han Donghoon, former leader of the People Power Party, expressed his condolences on the passing of Jin Kim, former editorial writer at JoongAng Ilbo, who died at the age of 66.

Yonhap News Agency

On April 11, former leader Han wrote on his Facebook, "Yesterday, editorial writer Jin Kim passed away," adding, "When I first heard about it, I couldn't believe it, and even now it still feels unreal."

He explained that although he was not close to Jin Kim from the beginning, they developed a special bond once they got to know each other. He continued, "I feel sorrowful and devastated," and said, "Senior Jin Kim provided insight during dark times through his broadcasts and commentaries, guided me when I was lost, and awakened me when I hesitated."

He also recalled Jin Kim's words, quoting him as saying, "All I want is for this country to truly prosper. If the country is on the right path, I will throw myself in support, but if not, I will criticize more sharply than anyone else."

Former leader Han wrote, "Whenever I faced a critical moment, he would reach out to give me candid advice, and our phone calls would routinely last two to three hours. When things were going well for me, he would not contact me, but he always reached out when I was facing difficulties."

He added, "Among the candid advice he gave me at those times, there were many things I accepted, but there were also things I did not. Looking back now, I realize that senior Jin Kim's words were right."

Former leader Han recalled that after he was expelled from the party, Jin Kim personally attended a protest rally on a cold day and even took the stage, saying, "When he helped me like that, he never contacted me in advance." He concluded by saying, "I pay tribute to senior Jin Kim, a patriot who possessed both insight and courage. Rest in peace, my brother."

Meanwhile, Jin Kim, who passed away, was born in 1959 in Wonju, Gangwon Province, and graduated from Kyung Hee University with a degree in economics. He began his journalism career at The Korea Times in 1984, then joined JoongAng Ilbo in 1986, serving as a political reporter and Washington correspondent, among other roles. He wrote a signed column, "Jin Kim's Hour by Hour," as an editorial writer in 1998 and again from 2006 to 2016.

After joining the Liberty Korea Party in 2017, he served as the head of the Gangnam-gap district organization in Seoul and as chairman of the Conservative Reform Committee for presidential candidate Hong Junpyo's central campaign. He was recognized as a leading conservative commentator, representing the conservative camp on various broadcast outlets and YouTube, where he worked as a political and current affairs commentator. Most recently, he personally ran the YouTube channel "Jin Kim TV."

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