[Kim Jongcheol of the Justice Party] "Democratic Party Only Pretends to Reform... Let Go of Fear and Choose the Justice Party"

Kim Jongchul, New Leader of the Justice Party, Interview
Party Structure Now More Flexible:
Bolder Criticism Ahead
Comprehensive Insurance Needed to Support the Self-Employed:
Is This the Time for Lime and Optimus Mudslinging?

[Asia Economy, reporters Park Cheoleung and Jeon Jinyoung] What will "Justice Party Season 2" look like after Roh Hoechan and Sim Sangjung? In an interview with Asia Economy on October 27, Jongchul Kim, leader of the Justice Party, expressed his determination to strengthen the party's progressive identity through bold criticism of both the ruling and main opposition parties and by driving policies focused on redistribution. Although it has been less than a month since he took office, he said he already feels a heavy sense of responsibility.

Jongchul Kim, Leader of the Justice Party. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

■ Party structure has become more flexible... Criticism will be bolder

Kim was elected party leader on October 9 with the slogan "Break the Taboos." During his tenure as chief spokesperson, he had asked reporters to refer to the Justice Party as a "progressive opposition party" rather than a "pro-ruling coalition Justice Party."

He explained that, since the Democratic Party has secured a supermajority, the Justice Party is now able to issue bold criticism against both major parties. Kim stated, "Now that the Democratic Party holds a majority, they no longer need to cooperate with the Justice Party. This allows us to speak more boldly and even break taboos. Becoming bolder is a challenge we must take on moving forward."

The Democratic Party and the Justice Party had formed an alliance during the "Cho Kuk and Fast-Track" political standoff, but ahead of the April 15 general election, the Justice Party declared it would not participate in the satellite proportional party system. Kim still believes this was the right decision. He said, "The policy alliance before the April 15 election was an unavoidable decision for electoral reform and prosecution reform. We could not criticize former Minister Cho Kuk to the point of breaking up the reform alliance." He added, "The decision not to join the satellite proportional party system is still correct. If the Justice Party had participated in a satellite party, how could we objectively evaluate the Moon Jaein administration? The only party left to evaluate the government would have been the People Power Party, leaving us as an 'empty shell' party."

Regarding the Democratic Party's reform initiatives, such as the launch of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) and the three fair economy bills, he criticized them as "merely pretending to reform." He said, "They are presenting themselves as reformists based solely on prosecution reform. They promised to redistribute through tax reform, but there has been no visible progress. They said they would raise corporate and income taxes, but the increases have been minimal. Even the Serious Accidents Corporate Punishment Act, which the Democratic Party initiated, is turning into a simple revision of the Industrial Safety and Health Act that would punish only on-site managers, not CEOs."

He continued, "These days, the Democratic Party seems to be playing it safe, like the rich being cautious. I wonder whether President Moon Jaein is truly trying to push for more decisive reforms in the final stage of his term. They should speak with more confidence." He added, "The slow pace of reform seems to be motivated only by a desire to stay in power. When asked why there is no drastic change, the answer always comes down to preventing the People Power Party from regaining power. But a party should not use the existence of other parties as an alibi for its own existence."

For this reason, he said that a bold "Justice Party Season 2" that breaks taboos is a choice for building a welfare state. Kim emphasized, "Choosing a progressive party like the Justice Party may not be familiar to most people. However, for the welfare state to arrive quickly, a progressive party like the Justice Party must succeed."

"If the majority chooses a progressive party, happiness can come sooner. Let go of your fears and choose the Justice Party."

Jongchul Kim, leader of the Justice Party. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

■ Embrace the self-employed with comprehensive insurance... Is this the time for Lime and Optimus mudslinging?

So what direction for reform does Kim envision for a progressive party? He cited comprehensive insurance that would cover non-regular and platform workers, as well as bold solidarity from the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), as key tasks. Criticizing the two major parties embroiled in the Lime and Optimus scandals, he remarked, "Is this the time to be rolling in the mud?"

To strengthen the Justice Party's identity, Kim believes it is necessary to focus on labor issues and reinforce redistribution policies to move toward a welfare state. He emphasized the passage of the Serious Accidents Corporate Punishment Act and the introduction of "Universal Income Insurance," which would eliminate coverage gaps in the national employment insurance system. Kim explained, "The core idea is to provide compensation when the incomes of the self-employed or freelancers drop sharply. Although this would require government funding, it is an issue that must be addressed." He added, "Currently, national employment insurance covers 49% of all employed people, meaning 52% are not covered. We need to create a comprehensive insurance system that includes everyone."

He also addressed the KCTU. When asked whether he is considering how to set the party's relationship with the KCTU, he said, "Because the union is mostly made up of regular workers, change can be slow. However, the KCTU has also organized a significant number of non-regular workers. Still, since regular workers are the majority, they may not be able to propose bold, comprehensive structural reforms for non-regular workers." He stressed, "The KCTU needs to engage in bold solidarity. The leadership must persuade more union members."

He also made it clear that the Justice Party will not be swept up in the political strife surrounding the "Lime and Optimus affairs" and other scandals involving the two major parties. Kim said, "There are too many unnecessary controversies." He explained, "The essence of these cases is to improve the system so that private equity funds cannot create more victims. If there are politicians, financial officials, or prosecutors involved in corruption or cover-ups, they should simply be punished. But the issue is being distorted into a fight between Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and Prosecutor General Yoon Seokyeol." He added, "Isn't it absurd that the government and the main opposition party are reacting emotionally to every word of a swindler? At the very least, we should keep our heads straight."

He also argued that tax increases for redistribution are essential to achieving the Justice Party's goal of a welfare state. He said, "Taxes are a form of social solidarity. The property tax brackets should be adjusted to reflect reality, and corporate taxes should be restored to the levels of the Roh Moo-hyun administration."

He also said the party must speak out on gender issues, such as the controversy over refusing to pay respects to the late former Seoul Mayor Park Wonsoon. Kim stated, "Given the psychological pain and distress experienced by victims, it is only natural to actively defend them. If a person accused as a perpetrator wants to defend themselves, they should present evidence and actively defend their case." He added, "We must stand firmly on the side of the victim and work to resolve the issue."

Following the controversy over not paying respects to former Mayor Park, the refusal to pay respects to the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kunhee has also become an issue. Kim said, "As a public party, we did not attend. Since all the other public parties and those in power would attend, at least one public party needed to take a different stance." He continued, "We acknowledge his role in developing Korean industry. However, during that process, he maintained a strict no-union management policy and spread negative perceptions about unions, which resulted in the deaths of many workers. We cannot say that the deaths of those workers are less significant than the death of Chairman Lee."