Kim Yong, Excluded from Nomination by Democratic Party: "I Respect the Party's Decision... I Will Serve in a Supporting Role"

"Politically Motivated Prosecution, I Will Prove the Fabrication"

"Devoting Myself from the Lowest Position for the Success of the Lee Administration"

Kim Yong, former Deputy Director of the Democratic Research Institute and known as one of President Lee Jaemyung's closest aides, has announced that he will accept the Democratic Party's decision not to nominate him as a candidate in the by-election scheduled for June 3. He stated, "I will serve in a supporting role."

On April 28, Kim held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Center, where he said, "I accept the decision made by the Strategic Nomination Management Committee with gravity. I respect the committee’s deliberation and strategic judgment."

Kim Yong, former Deputy Director of the Democratic Research Institute. Photo by Yonhap News

Kim also stated, "If my sacrifice can serve as a foundation for the success of the Lee Jaemyung administration and a victory for the Democratic Party, I will step aside with a glad heart."

However, he added, "The indictment against me is clearly a fabrication by politically motivated prosecutors and a petty act of political retaliation. If I collapse here, it will set a precedent for fabricated investigations to prevail. I will never stop; I will prove my innocence to the very end."

He emphasized, "I will thoroughly crush the fabricated indictment by the prosecution and, on the ground, devote myself in the humblest positions to ensure the success of the Lee Jaemyung administration."

Kim also said, "I am not lonely because there are party members and comrades who believe in my innocence," adding, "As a fellow member standing by your side, I will start again."

He went on to say, "If my sacrifice can serve as a catalyst for victory, I will gladly walk that path," and urged, "Through this election, please declare your firm resolve to clear away the remnants of insurrection and announce a great leap forward for the Republic of Korea."

The previous day, the Democratic Party's Strategic Nomination Committee announced the list of by-election candidates in the Gyeonggi region and made it clear that Kim would not be nominated for this election. Secretary-General Cho Seungrae stated, "After comprehensive consideration of the impact on the election, we determined that not nominating him would be appropriate," adding, "It will also be difficult to nominate him in other regions."

On the same day, Secretary-General Cho also said on SBS Radio, "We listened to many opinions from the party’s strategic units and from candidates running on the front lines, such as metropolitan mayors and governors," and added, "Candidates running in the Seoul metropolitan area and Yeongnam region thought it would be best for the party to make a decisive move to exclude Kim from nomination." He further explained, "We started by identifying what must not be done in this by-election."

It is known that Lee Yeonhee, the party's Strategic Planning Committee Chair, met with Kim before announcing the no-nomination policy to explain the details to him.

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