[Residence Politics] The Season Longing for YS's 'Bold-Stroke Politics'

② 'Sangdodong' That Fostered the YS Great Expectation Theory... Key Figures of the Kim Young-sam Government
Representative Figures Kim Dong-young, Choi Hyung-woo, Seo Cheong-won, Kim Moo-sung
Will the YS Second Son's Supported Candidate Continue the Presidential Victory Jinx?

[Asia Economy Reporters Ryu Jeong-min and Lee Ji-eun]

Editor's NoteEvery year at the start of the new year, the residences of political leaders are bustling with visitors. During the era of factional politics and even afterward, key figures in Korean politics gathered there. The areas where these residences are located became proper nouns themselves, forming a pillar of politics. This series of five articles analyzes the 'Private Residence Politics' centered around the homes of former presidents such as Donggyo-dong, Sangdo-dong, Bongha Village, Pyeongsan Village, as well as Dalseong-gun and Nonhyeon-dong.

"Now is the time to reflect on the great politics and righteous governance of the great mountain (巨山)."

This was a message delivered by President Yoon Suk-yeol on November 22 last year. The fact that the sitting president personally visited the grave of former President Kim Young-sam (YS) symbolizes YS's political stature.

YS was a figure who led Korean politics with his unique breakthrough ability and political skills. A legendary political leader who entered the tiger's den and seized the presidency. The process of overcoming the Minjung faction within the Democratic Liberal Party to become a presidential candidate is like a drama.

The key players in the 1992 presidential election victory were the Sangdo-dong faction, known as YS's retainers. They gathered day and night at YS's residence in Sangdo-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, holding strategic meetings. The so-called 'YS Great Ambition Theory' was conceived in Sangdo-dong.

Kim Hyun-chul, the second son of former President Kim Young-sam

With the passage of time, the place has changed a lot. A brown gate house in a villa area of Sangdo-dong. Without the three characters 'Kim Young-sam' engraved on the faded marble and the plaque below reading 'Seoul Future Heritage,' it would be hard to guess it was a presidential residence.

Having lived in Anam-dong, Seongbuk-gu, before moving to Sangdo-dong in 1969, YS spent his entire life here. It is a symbolic space of the democratization movement, marked by a history of nitric acid terrorism, house arrest, and hunger strikes.

The core of the Sangdo-dong faction is former lawmakers Kim Dong-young and Choi Hyung-woo, known as 'Woo Dong-young and Jwa Hyung-woo.' Former lawmaker Seo Seok-jae, former National Assembly Vice Speaker Shin Sang-woo, and former lawmaker Kim Deok-ryong are also notable. Former lawmakers Kim Moo-sung and Seo Cheong-won are representative politicians of the Sangdo-dong faction. Additionally, Busan Mayor Park Hyung-joon and former lawmaker Kim Young-choon have close ties to the Sangdo-dong faction.

Among those who entered politics through YS are former President Roh Moo-hyun, former lawmaker Sohn Hak-kyu, and Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo. Many politicians influenced by the Sangdo-dong faction are in the People Power Party, but there are also some in the Democratic Party of Korea.

The Sangdo-dong faction expanded its influence mainly in Busan and Gyeongnam during the 1980s and 1990s. After YS's presidential retirement in February 1998, its presence as a political organization gradually weakened. Unlike the Donggyo-dong faction, which united as a political organization called the People's Party, the Sangdo-dong faction members focused on their individual political careers for a long time.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

During President Park Geun-hye's administration, two Sangdo-dong faction members, Seo Cheong-won and Kim Moo-sung, competed for the party leadership.

An interesting point is the role of the Sangdo-dong faction in the election of presidents from the Democratic Party. In 2002, candidate Roh Moo-hyun received strong support from senior Sangdo-dong faction member former lawmaker Shin Sang-woo. At that time, Roh Moo-hyun leveraged his connection with the 'YS clock' to court votes in the Busan and Gyeongnam regions.

In the 2017 presidential election, YS's second son, Professor Kim Hyun-chul, supported then-Democratic Party candidate Moon Jae-in, drawing attention. Professor Kim cited the "long-cherished desire for a clear regime change by the legitimate democratization forces" as his reason. Both Moon Jae-in and YS hail from Geoje, Gyeongnam.

The reason Professor Kim's choices attract attention during presidential elections is intertwined with YS's political symbolism. While YS was alive, many politicians visited his residence during New Year or holidays. Especially, the leadership of the People Power Party engraved YS's words of blessing into their political messages.

Former Saenuri Party leader Kim Mu-seong (left) entered politics through his connection with former President Kim Young-sam.
[Photo by Office of Representative Kim Mu-seong]

After YS's passing, Professor Kim's actions became the focus of attention. In the May 2022 presidential election, Professor Kim supported candidate Yoon Suk-yeol. He praised Yoon, saying he "reminds one of President Kim Young-sam, who risked his life fighting for democratization to end military rule." As a result, in recent presidential elections, candidates endorsed by YS's second son have all been elected.

Although the Sangdo-dong and Donggyo-dong factions often opposed each other, they joined hands at critical moments to untangle the complex threads of politics. As the chaos in Korean politics deepens, the thirst for YS's bold style of politics inevitably grows.

February 25 marks the 30th anniversary of the inauguration of the civilian government in 1993. This is why interest in YS and the Sangdo-dong faction is surging again. What lessons should junior politicians, including those from the Sangdo-dong faction, learn from YS's political philosophy?

Kim Tae-ho, a People Power Party lawmaker and chairman of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, urged on the 12th, "We need to think deeply about the path we must walk together within the broad framework of politics." He emphasized, "I wonder why such political leadership has not been seen since YS. Politicians must reflect deeply and make greater efforts."