[Interview with Former National Assembly Speaker] Kim Yong-tae "Yun Hae-gwan Threatened Nomination... I Will Continue Unyielding Politics"

People Power Party March 8 National Convention Supreme Council Candidate Interview
Former Party Leader Lee Jun-seok as Youth Supreme Council Member
Plans to Raise Voices on 'Energy' and 'Environment'

[Asia Economy Reporter Geum Bo-ryeong] "There were Yoon core insiders (key figures close to Yoon Seok-yeol) who proposed, 'If you resign, we will recommend you as a member of the Emergency Response Committee,' and some who threatened, 'You should get nominated next time,' but I endured because I had no political justification to easily give up the position elected by the people and party members."

Kim Yong-tae, a candidate who ran for Supreme Council member in the March 8 People Power Party convention, said in an interview with Asia Economy on the 20th, "I believe politicians are evaluated by votes, and I want my past actions to be reevaluated in this convention."

Kim, one of the so-called 'reform candidates' group called 'Cheon-A-Yong-In' (Cheon Ha-ram, Heo Eun-ah, Kim Yong-tae, Lee Gi-in), served as a youth Supreme Council member under former party leader Lee Jun-seok’s leadership. He opposed the introduction of the Emergency Response Committee until the very end, standing firm amid the disciplinary actions against former leader Lee and the successive resignations of pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Seok-yeol) Supreme Council members.

Kim Yong-tae, candidate for the Supreme Council member of the People Power Party. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Kim cited 'principle' and 'conviction' as his strengths, saying, "Party members have seen that I do not bend even when pressured or enticed by power, and I want to continue such politics."

Kim’s current goal is to have at least two elected Supreme Council members come from 'Cheon-A-Yong-In.' The party amended its constitution and regulations last year to allow the establishment of an Emergency Response Committee if more than four out of five elected Supreme Council members resign or the positions become vacant. Kim explained, "Even securing just two seats would be the minimum threshold to block the Emergency Response Committee," adding, "Since they are cautious ahead of the general election, if two members oppose the disregard of procedures and party rules as has been done so far, it will be difficult to push through." He further said, "Ideally, those two would rank first and second so that the Yoon core insiders realize their mistakes."

He also pointed out that the atmosphere of labeling dissenting voices within the party as 'internal betrayal' is itself a target for reform. Kim criticized, "When politicians from the Democratic Party criticize their leader Lee Jae-myung, it is called a voice of loyalty, but when we raise correct voices within our party, we are criticized as anti-Yoon and ostracized. I don’t know whose tune we are supposed to follow."

Kim Yong-tae, candidate for the Supreme Council member of the People Power Party. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Kim also said, "Democracy is noisy, inefficient, and consumes a lot of time and money, but it is great because it has tolerance, that is, the acceptance of differing opinions," adding, "As democracy rapidly grows, I think established politicians’ understanding of democracy is lagging, and that is something to be ashamed of."

He dreams of being a politician who can speak with conviction even if it does not win votes. At the joint speech event for Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam on the 14th, Kim criticized the government’s plan to relocate the Korea Development Bank to Busan. He said, "We need to go beyond the simplistic idea of just moving the Korea Development Bank to Busan to develop it as a financial capital." Regarding this, Kim said, "It may not win votes in the Busan region, but I spoke with conviction."

Kim, who majored in environment and energy in both undergraduate and graduate school, plans to continue voicing his opinions on these issues. He showed strong interest in this field, having attended the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) while serving as a youth Supreme Council member. Kim said, "Energy and environment are among the reasons I am in politics," adding, "I don’t think these issues are limited to youth topics, so I will continue to raise my voice."