“The people are not a whip, but an iron club” Kim Tae-heum, governor of South Chungcheong
Southern Chungcheong Province Governor Kim Tae-heum, a three-term People’s Power Party lawmaker, talks about the April 10 general election and public sentiment in Chungcheong in the governor’s reception room at the Southern Chungcheong Provincial Office on the 24th. Regarding the reason for the ruling party’s crushing defeat, he said: “There was neither a desperate reflection nor a vision for the future on how to proceed in the next three years.” Hongseong = Reporter Byun Young-wook cut@donga.com
“Chungcheong’s influence was great in the April 10 general election, which led to an unprecedented result in the history of elections, a crushing defeat for the ruling party. Unlike its victory in the presidential and local elections two years ago, the People Power Party suffered a record defeat in southern and northern Chungcheong provinces. President Yoon Seok-yeol’s father’s hometown is Gongju, South Chungcheong Province. The People Power Party carefully analyzed the situation in Chungcheong region just before the general election, but failed to win even one seat out of 16 in urban areas such as Daejeon, Cheonan, Asan and Cheongju, and only got six seats, i.e. the goal. of the 12 seats, in rural areas and small and medium-sized cities. On the 24th, I met with South Chungcheong Province Governor Kim Tae-heum, a three-term lawmaker of the People’s Power Party, at the South Chungcheong Provincial Office in Hongseong-gun, South Chungcheong Province. He said of the ruling party’s crushing defeat in Chungcheong: “To some extent I expected it.”
● “Even though it is the president’s hometown…”
In the last presidential election, where the winner was decided with 247,077 votes, Chungcheong South and Chungcheong North are the regions where President Yoon won with 80,292 and 56,068 votes respectively. Daejeon, who gave more votes to President Yoon in the last presidential election, also returned to the Democratic Party of Korea.
I first asked Governor Kim the cause of the change in public sentiment in Chungcheong.
“Both Yeongnam and Honam have their sides. Voters in Chungcheong Region are proud people that our public sentiment is the public sentiment of the Republic of Korea. At every turning point in politics, we have supported the side that championed the political cause. “There seems to be no reason to support the government and the ruling party in this election.”
At the same time, he highlighted Chungcheong’s “mobilization of public sentiment in the metropolitan area.”
“Cities in the Chungcheong region have seen a rapid increase in the influx of residents from outside the region due to rapid industrialization and urbanization, creating a melting pot (multiple cultures assimilating into one), and electoral sentiment also follows that of the metropolitan area. “I think the theory of judging the regime worked because it is a region like Yeongnam and Honam where loyalty to a particular political party is not high.”
When the “president’s hometown” was mentioned, he said: “(The president’s hometown) is not a place that takes sides unconditionally.” He said: “Chungcheong is said to be President Yoon’s hometown, but this may not have been clearly impressed on the province’s residents, and the lack of selection of Chungcheong people into government or key positions may have been the reason for which did not reach their skin.” He continued: “The cause is already lost, so even if I came to Chungcheong and asked for votes, would the residents give me their votes unconditionally?”
«What does it mean specifically to lose for a cause?
“Regarding the issue of former Ambassador Lee Jong-seop to Australia, the appointment itself was, needless to say, the wrong choice. At the time, I called Lee Kwan-seop, chief of staff of the presidential office, and told him that it would be a good idea to convince him to resign voluntarily. I expressed my intention that he should resign as soon as possible. However it took 8 days (to resign). “He was insensitive to public sentiment.”
He also expressed regret over First Lady Kim Kun-hee’s handling of the matter.
“President Yoon’s national administration is heading in the right direction. However, people are disappointed because they can’t see what they expected when they elected President Yoon. People believed he would become a leader who championed fairness and common sense while facing persecution as attorney general during President Moon Jae-in’s administration. Furthermore, it was expected that he would be a large-scale, talkative, masculine leader. However, the response to the issue of Ms. Kim and her mother-in-law did not give confidence to people who expected fairness and common sense.”
● “The promise of a complete relocation of the National Assembly was a failure”
The public sentiment in Chungcheong, which he diagnosed, was not much different from the general trend in the general election, in which the “government judgment theory” played an important role. Was there some other cause?
«The pledge to “completely relocate the National Assembly to Sejong City” was announced shortly before the general elections. How did you see it?
“The National Assembly has already decided to relocate 11 standing committees and most functions to Sejong City, except for some functions such as the plenary hall. In this situation, the People Power Party’s promise of a complete transfer is bound to have a weak impact. “Also, it was announced right before the election, so I think its sincerity may have been questioned.”
Sejong is an area where many public officials live. After the 21st general elections, the People Power Party failed to win a single seat in Sejong in this election too.
Regarding the continuing defeat of the People Power Party in Sejong, Governor Kim presented the number “38.6”.
“Sejong City is a “young city” that was created through twists and turns, including controversies and unconstitutionality amendments, after the 16th presidential election promise in 2002. The average age is 38.6 years old at the end of 2023. “For the People Power Party, it will always be a difficult region.”
In a situation where the construction of the Sejong National Assembly Building and the Presidential Office in Sejong has so far failed to accelerate, it has been difficult to convey the ruling party’s promises directly to young voters who consider the specificity of policies.
● “A passport that has been hit hard by public sentiment”
Governor Kim expressed the shock he felt on Facebook immediately after the general election, saying: “People raised iron clubs, not sticks, against the ruling party.” He highlighted the “passport crisis”.
“When you say stick, don’t you mean you got a stick when you got about 130-140 seats out of a majority of 150? “If we received just over 100 seats, wouldn’t it be an ironclad club?”
-What do you think should have been different?
“President Yoon should have at least expressed regret as a family member when his mother-in-law went to prison. I think that by not honestly putting small problems aside, they have accumulated into bigger problems. Even with the Dior bag issue, it was a problem that the president could simply admit and ignore, saying, “He did not meet the public’s expectations” and “I apologize.” “Since that didn’t work, dissatisfaction must have built up in people’s hearts.”
«Many public opinion highlights the president’s lack of communication.
“If the perception of President Yoon’s arrogance and lack of communication is 1, public opinion seems to be 9 or 10, which is a shame. It is true that most of the problems encountered by the public stem from risks related to the mother-in-law or First Lady Kim Kun-hee, rather than the administration of state affairs. The public’s negative image of President Yoon is more exaggerated than reality. “It’s a shame that these aspects hold back government administration.”
● “First of all, the listener must change”
However, Governor Kim said, “The ruling party is still in chaos” and “If this continues, we will not be able to produce the results the people want.” And he said, “The president must change first.”
«The President has started personnel reform. Will it change in the future?
“There are many orders to speak directly to the president. However, it is not easy to speak directly with the President. It takes a lot of wisdom to convince the president. If the president has a direction in mind, even if you agree with it right away, you have to have the ability to organize your opinions a little more after a day or two, judge the direction of improvement and say, “Let’s change what needs to be changed.” Of course, the listener has to change first. However, when you become a staff member, you need the wisdom to change the president’s thinking.”
-How should the president change in the future?
“I hope President Yoon can now clearly show himself as a harmonious and large-scale leader. Every era has its desired leader. “Now is the time when we want leaders who are confident and broadly inclusive.”
«Do you think that the work of reorganizing the Cabinet staff is going well?
“Staffing reform after the general election is a key part. The nomination is not important, but as a ruling party we must first establish the direction in which we will conduct national affairs and what objectives we will pursue in the remaining three years and under this political structure. “Looking at the confusion they see in saving people, I think the first step was done wrong.”
“So how should we appoint a prime minister?
“I think it would be good to ask the opposition party to ‘recommend a good person as prime minister’ during this meeting with Representative Lee Jae-myung. If the Democratic Party recommends some ministerial positions, with them we will do well in the government, so wouldn’t it be appropriate to ask for their good opinion? “I hope we can show President Yoon’s great leadership.”
In an interview that lasted nearly three hours, he mentioned “reflection” and “future” several times. It can be seen that her key words in her diagnosis of the ‘passport in crisis’ were “a miserable reflection on the parts that did not meet public expectations, and the absence of a vision for the future about how the next three years will go” . .”
He said: “Given that we have been in power for two years, these elections had no choice but to take on a judgmental character. We must humbly accept what we must accept now and present in detail the future that the ruling party can show.” He added: “The loss of national momentum is a great loss for the country and its people. “It’s important to do better in the future,” she stressed.
Hong Seong = editorial writer Gil Jin-gyun leon@donga.com
Editorial Writer Shin Gwang-young leon@donga.com
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