Na Kyung-won and Won Hee-ryong Raise Expectations as Veteran Relief Pitchers Amid Ruling Party's Talent Shortage

Rising Role Theory of Prominent Figures with High Public Recognition
"To Win, a Multinational Force Must Be Formed"

As the ruling party's crisis theory in the Seoul metropolitan area continues ahead of next year's general election, the role of senior politicians is emerging. There is growing support for the voices that senior figures with high public recognition, such as former lawmaker Na Kyung-won and Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong, should become the leading figures to lead the election victory.

Former lawmaker Na and Minister Won have recently begun warming up for the general election in earnest. Na, who distanced herself from politics for a while after giving up her bid for the party leadership election in March, held the founding forum of the corporation 'Population, Climate, and Tomorrow' on the 24th. Many current and former lawmakers, including party leader Kim Ki-hyun, floor leader Yoon Jae-ok, and secretary-general Lee Cheol-gyu, attended this forum.

Na is expected to take full-fledged steps toward challenging next year's general election through this forum. In his congratulatory speech that day, Leader Kim praised Na as "truly an icon of the conservative party and the best leader." He also mentioned, "To do that, you need a (National Assembly) 'badge.' You need a rank to work."

Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, is greeting former lawmaker Na Kyung-won at the party's 3rd national convention held on the 8th at KINTEX in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@ 20230309

Minister Won also attended the 'Meeting to Prepare a New Future (Saemijun)' forum seminar held on the same day and expressed his determination, saying, "I will take on a political role and do my best with all my strength as the ruling party's figure to be judged by the people." This was interpreted as his intention to support ruling party candidates as the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in next year's general election, while some speculate about the possibility of Minister Won running for election.

Both former lawmaker Na and Minister Won share the commonality of having a political base in the metropolitan area. Na entered the National Assembly as a proportional representative in the 17th general election, then consecutively won in Seoul Jung-gu in the 18th general election and Seoul Dongjak-eul in the 19th and 20th general elections, building national recognition and a support base. Although she lost in 2011, she ran as the Hannara Party's Seoul mayoral candidate at that time and served as the floor leader of the Liberty Korea Party in 2018.

Minister Won also has strengths in the metropolitan area, having succeeded in three consecutive elections in Seoul Yangcheon-gap in the 16th, 17th, and 18th general elections before serving two terms as governor of Jeju Province. After being eliminated in the 2022 presidential primary, he served as the policy chief of Yoon Seok-youl's presidential campaign headquarters, and after President Yoon's election, he was appointed chairman of the Presidential Transition Committee's planning committee and then Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. He is regarded as a figure who combines diverse election experience, administrative capability, and recognition.

Regarding the emergence of the senior politician role theory, former lawmaker Kim Young-woo said in a CBS radio interview, "The attitude of the party leadership toward next year's general election seems to have a strong sense of crisis and has changed," adding, "To achieve victory in the metropolitan area elections, even within the party, a multinational force must be formed."