An "Kim, where did you put the Yeonpotang... Yoon also appointed during the Democratic Party administration"

Kim's '20-Year Root Party Member' Attack
Refuted by Mentioning Current and Former National Assembly Members

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] Ahn Cheol-soo, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, counterattacked Kim Ki-hyun, who questioned his identity, saying, "President Yoon Seok-yeol and Assemblyman Choi Jae-hyung were also appointed during the Democratic Party administration."

On the 22nd, Ahn wrote on Facebook, "Yesterday at the joint speech meeting, candidate Kim Ki-hyun attacked me by emphasizing that he has been a party member with 20 years of roots," adding, "Where is your Yeonpotang, and why are you showing such pettiness by even denying the spirit of the presidential election unification?"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

At the joint speech meeting for Daejeon, Sejong, Chungbuk, and Chungnam the previous day, candidate Kim said, "I am a root party member who has protected this party for over 20 years without wavering, maintaining the orthodox roots. By looking at a person's past, you can understand their present and future, and I, Kim Ki-hyun, who has preserved the orthodox conservative roots, am the party leader who will lead next year's general election victory," indirectly targeting candidate Ahn, who has switched party affiliations to the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, the People’s Party, and other parties formed through mergers with the Democratic Party.

In response, candidate Ahn mentioned current and former members of the National Assembly from his party, saying, "The People Power Party is a party of inclusion and convergence," and added, "Former President Park Geun-hye, who led the emergency committee, focused on party expansion and achieved victory. We actively embraced people from outside South Korea, such as former Assemblywoman Lee Ja-sim and former Assemblyman Cho Myung-chul." He continued, "Assemblymen Tae Young-ho and Ji Sung-ho are from North Korea. Who would dare say that our two assemblymen have North Korean DNA?"

He stated, "Candidate Kim Ki-hyun is denying the strengths of our party, which are inclusion and convergence," and added, "I hope party members and the public will judge who is the least suitable party leader for the People Power Party."

Ahn’s campaign youth spokesperson Kim Young-ho also criticized in a statement that day, "Yesterday, he talked about the Democratic Party DNA toward the unification candidate, and today he says he will embrace even the moderate left," adding, "If he has belatedly recognized the importance of moderate expansion, he should first apologize for the many mistakes he has made toward candidate Ahn."