Kim Eun-hye's 8,900-Vote Defeat Sparks 'Kang Yong-seok Responsibility Debate'... 'Gaseyeon' Engulfed in Internal Conflict

Supporters of the People Power Party: "Kim Eun-hye lost because Kang Yong-seok took 50,000 votes"
Kim Se-ui: "I was negotiating unification... Kang Yong-seok's camp betrayed us"
Kang Yong-seok: "Kim Eun-hye is responsible for her own defeat"

Director Kang Yong-seok (left) of the YouTube channel 'Garosero Research Institute' and CEO Kim Se-ui. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Regarding the narrow defeat of Kim Eun-hye, the People Power Party candidate for the Gyeonggi Province governor election, who lost to Kim Dong-yeon of the Democratic Party by only about 8,900 votes, the conservative camp is raising responsibility claims against independent candidate Kang Yong-seok. It is argued that since Kang, who received about 50,000 votes, did not unify with Kim, the votes were split, causing Kim to narrowly lose.

In this context, Kim Se-ui, the representative who runs the YouTube channel 'Garosero Research Institute (Gaseyeon)' together with Kang, expressed conflicting claims with Kang regarding the cause of the failure of conservative unification, revealing tensions between the two.

On June 2, as Kim’s defeat in the June 1 local elections became certain, criticism against Gaseyeon surged mainly among People Power Party supporters. On the Gaseyeon YouTube channel community, posts appeared blaming Kang for Kim’s defeat, such as "The disappointment is so great that we should cut ties with Gaseyeon" and "Even though it was a landslide victory for the People Power Party, it doesn’t feel like a win because of Gyeonggi Province."

The number of Gaseyeon subscribers also decreased. The subscriber count, which had exceeded 910,000, dropped to 875,000 on the 3rd. Some subscribers even demanded refunds of donations they had previously given to Gaseyeon.

In May, Kang Yong-seok, an independent candidate for Gyeonggi Province governor, appealed for support at the launch event held at Jidonggyo Bridge in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. / Yonhap News

Kim Eun-hye, the People Power Party candidate for Gyeonggi Province governor, acknowledged her defeat on the morning of the 2nd at the election office in Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi Province. / Gyeonggi Joint Photo Coverage Team [Image source=Yonhap News]

As Gaseyeon was pointed out as a cause of Kim’s defeat, confusion has also been sensed between Kang and Kim Se-ui. Kim Se-ui claimed that he was in favor of unification between Kang and Kim and had negotiated with Kim’s side, but the talks failed due to disagreements with Kang’s camp.

In a Facebook post on the 2nd, Kim said, "I conducted unification negotiations solely for 'restoring Kang Yong-seok’s honor' without any other conditions. This is something that a key figure in Kim Eun-hye’s camp cannot deny." He added, "However, it is presumed that voices of criticism came from Kang Yong-seok’s camp, saying, 'Why did we make a deal that only benefits Kim Eun-hye without gaining anything?' Kang Yong-seok’s camp betrayed me, Kim Se-ui." He also emphasized, "Someone is spreading the false claim that I instigated Kang Yong-seok to run for governor of Gyeonggi Province, but that is completely untrue."

Kang’s camp maintains that they continuously pursued unification but were ignored by Kim’s side. Cha Myung-jin, a former lawmaker who served as the election countermeasures committee chairman for Kang’s camp, stated on Facebook that day, "Kang clearly demanded unification with Kim Eun-hye early on and proposed conditions. However, he was completely ignored." He argued, "Who is responsible for Kim Eun-hye’s defeat? Kang Yong-seok and his followers? That is just the personal speculation of self-strengthening advocates within the People Power Party. It’s like blaming South Korea for the cause of the Ukraine war."

Kang himself responded to the responsibility claims on his personal YouTube channel, not Gaseyeon, saying, "Refusing to join the party, refusing unification, and now being asked to take responsibility for the defeat?what kind of miraculous logic is that?" and "The responsibility for Kim Eun-hye’s defeat lies with Kim Eun-hye herself."

Regarding this, the People Power Party expressed regret over the failure to unify with Kang but explained that it was not a feasible option. Floor leader Kwon Seong-dong wrote on Facebook, "Let me make it clear. During the Gyeonggi Province governor election, unification through negotiation was impossible. The only way to expect unification effects was Kang Yong-seok’s withdrawal." He added, "If formal negotiations for candidate unification had taken place, it would have rather caused vote losses in other regions."