[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] When entering Seoul National University, he dreamed of becoming a broadcast anchor. However, it was the 1980s. The oppression of the era often changed individuals' career paths. He became the president of the Seoul National University student council and the chairman of the National Student Union. It is said that when the police forcibly hospitalized him to stop protests, he escaped dressed in patient clothes and led the protests at all costs. Eventually, he spent 2 years and 8 months in prison.
In 1996, at the young age of 28, he ran for the Yeongdeungpo-eul district in Seoul but lost. He challenged again and was consecutively elected to the 15th and 16th National Assembly. He was the youngest member of the 15th Assembly and was also called a "Kim Dae-jung kid." Although he started his political career earlier than anyone else, he was branded a "political turncoat" and had to live as a private citizen for 20 years.
Now he has returned and seized the opportunity to challenge again. He is Kim Min-seok, former head of the Democratic Research Institute, who defeated Representative Shin Kyung-min in the Democratic Party's Yeongdeungpo-eul primary.
"Meeting voters, I felt their sorrow. There was also sympathy, like 'You've been through a lot.' Many people knew me, and we felt the 20 years together."
Kim, the former research institute head, was again attacked as a "political turncoat." During the nomination interview process, Representative Shin said, "The political turncoat has been reborn as a zombie," and revealed to the media that he met Mrs. Kwon Yang-sook, who said she would encourage Shin. Kim has a history of joining candidate Chung Mong-joon’s camp in 2002, which has followed him like a label, making his political comeback difficult.
In a phone interview with Asia Economy, Kim said, "Most Democratic Party supporters and members seemed to think that (Representative Shin) made several negative moves," adding, "Right after the news of (Shin’s) visit to Bongha Village became known, pro-Roh and pro-Moon YouTubers and commentators publicly expressed their support for me."
He continued, "I want to conclude by quoting former President Roh Moo-hyun’s autobiography, where he said, 'Kim Min-seok made a rational judgment that unification was necessary to create a regime.'" Kim also went on a 15-day hunger strike in 1987, urging opposition unification during the presidential election.
Now, he must face the general election. He believes the focus should be on responding to COVID-19 rather than election campaigning. Kim said, "Traditional campaigning, like greeting and shaking hands morning and evening, is impossible, and fundamentally, urgent support for the hardships caused by COVID-19 is the most pressing issue."
He added, "Instead of campaigning for votes, we need to conduct preliminary surveys to identify difficulties in various sectors and strive to find solutions. I believe the party as a whole must change in this way," and said, "I plan to give these opinions to the party after further consideration."
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