[People人] How Far Does 'Political Revivalist' Kim Jong-in's 'Politics' Go?

"Won't Do Politics" But Interest Grows Whether Yoon Seok-yeol Will Play 'Kingmaker' Role

Kim Jong-in, former emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, and Geum Tae-seop, former lawmaker, are having a breakfast meeting at the Chosun Hotel in Seoul on the 16th. Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Group

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] "They seem to think that raising the comprehensive real estate tax and property tax can control apartment prices, but there have been many attempts in the past, and real estate can never be controlled by taxes," said Kim Jong-in, former emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, criticizing the government's real estate policy last June.

"To supplement the real estate policy to meet the public's expectations, we have established a Special Real Estate Committee," said Yoon Ho-jung, the newly appointed floor leader (emergency committee chairman) of the Democratic Party of Korea, while presiding over the first emergency committee meeting on the 19th. The policy supplement he mentioned is known to be aimed at partially easing the burden of comprehensive real estate tax and property tax for one-household one-homeowners. This is because the main cause of the by-election defeat on the 7th was acknowledged to be the real estate policy.

Judging by the external results, former Chairman Kim's perspective seems to have partially influenced the outcome. The name 'Kim Jong-in' is one of the key terms to understand or explain Korean politics. Immediately after the by-election, he stepped down from the position of emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party and said several times, "I will no longer engage in politics." However, public attention still focuses on his words. Various factors influence political outcomes, but Kim Jong-in has played a role as one of the main variables.

The by-election was called a 'preliminary battle.' Of course, the main event is the presidential election. Until March next year, Korean society will be in turmoil over the next presidential seat. Many expect that former Chairman Kim will be involved again in this process. The current situation is both strange and evokes a sense of d?j? vu. Surpassing all existing political figures, former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl is leading the polls as the most suitable candidate for the next presidential election. People Power Party members have only minimal support. It seems to be a moment when the desire for new figures, considered a basic constant in Korean politics, is maximized.

As the saying goes, "Even if you have a thousand beads, you need to string them to make a treasure," the People Power Party believes that former Yoon must join the party to achieve victory together. However, attention is focused on whether former Chairman Kim will take steps to create another 'treasure.' Although former Yoon shed his clothes while opposing the Moon Jae-in administration, it seems difficult for him to easily blend in with the People Power Party's color.

"He was the special prosecutor team leader who demanded a 30-year prison sentence for former President Park Geun-hye, but the demand was excessive," even Yoo Seung-min, former People Power Party lawmaker who supported Park's impeachment and founded the Bareun Party, recently said this.

If former Yoon enters politics, he will definitely need power and organization, and if not joining the People Power Party, a coalition with former Chairman Kim is worth considering. There is an overlapping point: 'conviction.'

Former Chairman Kim has positively evaluated former Yoon, saying things like "He seems to have seized a moment of the stars" and "He has completely made the era's spirit of fairness his own." He appreciates that former Yoon showed unwavering conviction as a prosecutor.

"Economic democratization is stipulated in the constitution, so does that mean our constitution is a socialist constitution? Constitutional protection is the basis of conservatism, but these people are fake conservatives who don't even properly understand our constitution."

This is part of former Chairman Kim's memoir published last year. Although he is sometimes called a 'political migratory bird' for crossing between progressives and conservatives, he has always emphasized and generally maintained policy convictions regardless of the party. One evaluation after this by-election is often summarized as the fading of ideological politics. It seems possible that two figures with weak ideological colors may form a force centered on the value of 'fairness.'

He was a professor of economics at Sogang University, then served as a member of the 11th, 12th, and 14th National Assembly during the Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo administrations, the 17th National Assembly during the Roh Moo-hyun administration, and the 20th National Assembly during the Park Geun-hye administration. All five times, he was a proportional representative who did not compete in a constituency. He also ran in the 13th general election in 1988 for the Seoul Gwanak-gu Eul constituency but lost to former Democratic Party leader Lee Hae-chan (then a Peace Democratic Party candidate).

There was even talk that his "profession is emergency committee chairman." Starting as an emergency committee member of the Grand National Party in 2011, he played a midwife role for the birth of the Park Geun-hye administration as chairman of the Saenuri Party's National Happiness Promotion Committee the following year. In 2016, he moved to the Democratic Party, serving as election campaign chairman and emergency committee leader, and last year, he crossed back to the People Power Party camp, working as election campaign chairman and emergency committee chairman.

Among politicians, he is probably the only one who has moved between both camps and contributed to victories. Both progressives and conservatives have relatively solid fixed support bases called 'jittoeki' (core supporters). It is common sense that the side that attracts more moderates or floating voters wins. Former Chairman Kim stands at that point, and the majority view is that his 'politics' will continue in some form.