Kim Tae-woo's Candidacy... Embarrassment as Even Within the Ruling Party 'Mismatch of Intentions' Arises

Criticism continues over former Seoul Gangseo District Mayor Kim Tae-woo registering again as a preliminary candidate for Gangseo District Mayor just three months after being pardoned in the 'Liberation Day special pardon' following a guilty verdict for leaking secrets learned through official duties to the media. The reason is that he ran for office shortly after being reinstated by the pardon. Even within the ruling party, there is a sense of embarrassment, with some saying it is 'inappropriate in terms of political ethics.'

On the 21st, Yoon Sang-hyun, a four-term senior member of the People Power Party, appeared on YTN's 'News King Park Ji-hoon' and said, "This person is basically the cause of the by-election, yet he is running again (for Gangseo District Mayor). I think this is fundamentally against political ethics," adding, "It would be better for him to take a break this time and participate in the general election."

Former prosecutor investigator Kim Tae-woo, who raised suspicions of civilian surveillance by the Blue House's Special Inspection Team, is responding to reporters' questions as he enters the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office in Gyeonggi Province on the 12th to undergo investigation into the case filed by the Blue House.
/ Suwon = Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Former Mayor Kim was prosecuted for leaking secrets learned through official duties after exposing allegations related to the Blue House Civil Affairs Office's Special Inspection Team in 2018. In May of this year, the Supreme Court confirmed a sentence of one year in prison with a two-year probation, resulting in the loss of his mayoral position. The by-election is scheduled for October, and his challenge for the mayoral position again after being pardoned in the Liberation Day special pardon has drawn criticism for violating 'political ethics.'

Rep. Yoon expressed that it would be better for Kim to run in the general election rather than immediately challenging the mayoral by-election. He said, "Consider the case if he loses (the by-election). Then, the controversy could extend not only to the party's nomination but also to the president's pardon authority," adding, "If former Mayor Kim is nominated, it could become a rallying point for the opposition."

On the same day, Hong Seok-jun, a member of the People Power Party, said on BBS's 'Jeon Young-shin's Morning Journal,' "From our party's perspective, it is still a difficult and challenging situation to decide," adding, "Regardless of the reason, since he caused the by-election, it is questionable whether nominating him is appropriate. On the other hand, former Mayor Kim is clearly a whistleblower, and his report exposed the double standards of the Cho family and the admission fraud of Cho Min. There is also a faction that questions whether it is right to block a whistleblower in this way."

Since immediately after the pardon, former Mayor Kim has shown strong determination to return to the Gangseo District Mayor position and has been focused on 'attacking the Democratic Party.' After registering as a preliminary candidate on the 18th, he criticized Democratic Party candidates on social media, saying, "The party that should not field a candidate is the 'Money Envelope Democratic Party,'" and on the 20th, he claimed, "In Gangseo, which the Democratic Party monopolized for 16 years, the development of Hwagok has stagnated." When Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party leader, pointed out the government's 'lack of public will,' Kim targeted him on social media, saying, "I wonder if Leader Lee, who hides behind the National Assembly to avoid prosecution, truly has such public will."

The opposition criticizes former Mayor Kim's behavior. Lee Jeong-mi, leader of the Justice Party, said on social media that day, "The person responsible for the by-election, which requires pouring in 4 billion won of taxpayers' money, should be standing before the residents and apologizing profusely, but shamelessly asks to be elected again," adding, "We cannot just watch this corruption, where a person who was a criminal until a week ago calls for political change in Gangseo while talking about morality. He should immediately stop this behavior and step down."

Lee also warned the People Power Party, saying, "It is a priority to bow your head and apologize to the residents for nominating someone who was found to have committed misconduct in the last election and caused severe harm to the residents." The Justice Party has decided to nominate former Seoul City Council member Kwon Soo-jung for this Gangseo District Mayor by-election.