"Protecting Their Own Thieves..." First-Term United Future Party Members Strike Back at Kim Bu-gyeom's Advice

Kim Boo-kyum "Bae Hyun-jin and Jo Su-jin, First-Term Lawmakers Should Not Be Attackers"

Kim Boo-kyum, former member of the Democratic Party of Korea. The photo shows him holding a press conference in the briefing room of the Busan City Council on the 31st of last month. Photo by Yonhap News.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] Criticism from first-term lawmakers of the United Future Party continues over former Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Boo-kyum's remark, "Never recklessly take on the role of a striker when you are a first-term lawmaker."

On the 4th, United Future Party lawmaker Kim Woong shared an article titled 'Kim Boo-kyum: "Bae Hyun-jin and Jo Soo-jin, first-term lawmakers should not be strikers... How pitiful"' on his Facebook, saying, "This is advice from a political veteran who has seen many changes. It's good advice, but does it not apply to first-term lawmakers of the same party? I'm curious."

Kim said, "It seems like he is protecting his own kids who are robbers while scolding the kids from the neighboring school for their attire," adding, "Perhaps he thinks his own kids are beyond help," strongly criticizing him.

He also said, "By the way, he tells us not to talk about dictatorship unless we run in a difficult district, but Democratic Party lawmakers running in Honam would find that very unpleasant."

Fellow party member Heo Eun-ah also wrote on her Facebook the same day, "Senior Kim Boo-kyum, I have sincerely listened to your advice, 'Never recklessly take on the role of a striker when you are a first-term lawmaker,'" adding, "Since you were a first-term lawmaker from the Grand National Party in the 16th National Assembly, I will take your words to heart."

Heo emphasized, "Rather than following the advice of Kim Boo-kyum, who is now a candidate for the leader of the ruling party, I want to follow the precedent of first-term Kim Boo-kyum from 20 years ago, who voluntarily took on the role of a sniper for party reform and political innovation as a first-term lawmaker of the opposition Grand National Party."

Kim Woong, Member of the Future United Party / Photo by Yonhap News

This was in response to former lawmaker Kim's earlier advice on the 3rd to United Future Party lawmakers Bae Hyun-jin and Jo Soo-jin.

In a post on his Facebook that day, former lawmaker Kim mentioned the two lawmakers, saying, "The point of my previous post was that the word 'dictatorship' should not be used recklessly. But the party that uses it recklessly, and the lawmakers who misinterpret the meaning of the word 'glare' in my post, are truly pitiful," he pointed out.

He continued, "Also, you called me a 'politician who has already been judged,' but wasn't the United Future Party the one judged in the last general election?" He added, "Lawmaker Jo also said, 'They don't even let us call dictatorship dictatorship.' I expressed the establishment of dictatorship as 'restriction of basic rights' to sound better, but more directly, it means crimes that annihilate human rights such as imprisoning, beating, torturing, and fabricating interrogation records against the opposition."

Former lawmaker Kim said, "If Lawmaker Jo runs in her hometown Jeonju, I will believe in the spirit of anti-dictatorship. If Lawmaker Bae throws her hat into the ring in Gangbuk, I will accept the judgment theory. Until then, please do not speak too hastily," advising, "Never recklessly take on the role of a striker when you are a first-term lawmaker."

He added, "Proportional representation lawmakers are often assigned the role of snipers, but don't fall for that," adding, "If you recklessly act as a striker or sniper, you will get hurt, and the shame will be borne by your constituents."