Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Kim Young-joo is leaving the press conference after holding a press conference on his withdrawal from the Democratic Party of Korea at the National Assembly Communication Hall in Yeouido, Seoul on the afternoon of the 19th. 2024.2.19/News1 © News1 Reporter Song Won-young
It was reported that People Power Party Emergency Response Committee Chairman Han Dong-hoon had a phone call with National Assembly Vice-Chairman Kim Young-joo, who declared his withdrawal from the Democratic Party of Korea in protest against the notification of the bottom 20% evaluation of active members. There is an interpretation that Chairman Han suggested Vice Chairman Kim to join the party.
According to the political circles on the 22nd, Chairman Han is said to have recently called and talked directly with Vice Chairman Kim. It is expected that Vice-Chairman Kim, who announced his withdrawal from the Democratic Party, had a phone call with Chairman Han at a time when he was contemplating his next move, so there may have been an offer to join the party.
Chairman Han made a public love call after Vice Chairman Kim announced his withdrawal from the party. Chairman Han met with reporters this morning and asked about whether to recruit Vice Chairman Kim, saying, “The People Power Party is a liberal party, a party that represents the people with common sense. It is not a party that only cares about extreme supporters.” He added, “Liberal democracy and the market. “If you have faith in the economy, when many different people come together, you can become stronger, more capable, and do a lot for the people,” he said.
On the 20th, he also praised Vice Chairman Kim, saying, “I remember him as a very reasonable and common sense person.” He also mentioned, “You seem to be having a hard time right now, but it would be difficult for anyone who doesn’t wear the armband saying they love Lee Jae-myung to endure in Lee Jae-myung’s Democratic Party right now.”
Chairman Han’s attempt to recruit Vice Chairman Kim appears to be a move to highlight the controversy over Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung’s nomination. Currently, the Democratic Party is experiencing a growing controversy over the nomination of so-called ‘unexpected deaths’.
In particular, some say it is recruiting talent to win the metropolitan area. Vice Chairman Kim’s constituency, Yeongdeungpo-gap, is a battleground in the metropolitan area where the conservative party and the Democratic Party exchanged wins and losses, and the People Power Party is aiming to retake it in this general election. The People Power Party has put the nomination of Yeongdeungpo Gap on hold, as if considering recruiting Vice Chairman Kim. It is analyzed as a strategy to establish a bridgehead for winning the metropolitan area and securing moderate votes by recruiting Vice Chairman Kim.
Vice Chairman Kim, who comes from the labor community, served as the first Minister of Employment and Labor under the Moon Jae-in administration. Since he entered the 17th National Assembly as a proportional representative in 2004, he is evaluated as a reasonable progressive figure who was elected to a total of 4 terms in Yeongdeungpo-gap, Seoul, from the 19th, 20th, and 21st.
If Vice-Chairman Kim joins the People Power Party, it will be recorded as the second change in party affiliation in the Democratic Party since the Chairman Han regime. Previously, Rep. Lee Sang-min left the Democratic Party and joined the People Power Party. Rep. Lee is running as a candidate for the People Power Party in Yuseong, Daejeon, his constituency, in this general election.
Vice-Chairman Kim, who is scheduled to submit his withdrawal plan to the Democratic Party after the end of the extraordinary National Assembly in February, is receiving love calls from not only the People Power Party but also the New Reform Party and New Future. The Democratic Party is also still trying to dissuade the party from leaving, with floor leader Hong Ik-pyo having a meeting with Vice Chairman Kim that day. Vice Chairman Kim, who is contemplating his next move, is said to reach a conclusion soon.
b3@news1.kr
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