[Yeouido Interview] From the Youngest District Lawmaker of the Democratic Party to a Third-Term Challenge in the Seoul Metropolitan Area

In Early 40s, Enters National Assembly as District Lawmaker in 20s
"Pursuing Politics for 100 Points, Not 51... Need for Senior Figures in Yeoncheon and Dongducheon"

Kim Seong-won, a member of the People Power Party, is recently regarded as one of the busiest figures in Yeouido. As the ruling party's secretary of the National Assembly's Industry, Trade, Energy, Small and Medium Business Committee, he recently concluded the national audit and served as the ruling party's secretary at the parliamentary hearing for Lee Jong-seok, the nominee for Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court. Ahead of next year's general election, he became the head of the Yeouido Research Institute and recently moved his 'base' from his office to the Yeouido Research Institute office. After finishing the leadership meeting early in the morning, Kim's daily routine is to handle only the necessary tasks in his office and then rush directly to the Yeouido Research Institute office.

Since entering the National Assembly, Kim has held various 'titles.' During the 20th National Assembly, he was the youngest district lawmaker from the Liberty Korea Party, and he has held various party positions including floor spokesperson, spokesperson, deputy head of organization, and senior deputy floor leader.

Kim Sung-won, Director of Yeouido Institute. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Despite his busy legislative activities, he spares no effort in his constituency work, even reducing his sleep to do so. Having been re-elected consecutively in the metropolitan area (Gyeonggi Dongducheon-Yeoncheon), he listens attentively to the stories of his constituents with a humble attitude.

Challenging for a 'three-term metropolitan area lawmaker' in next year's general election, he emphasized the need for a 'senior lawmaker' to address the remaining local pending issues. These include major projects such as ▲ extending the GTX-C line to Dongducheon ▲ designating Dongducheon as a high-tech strategic industry specialized complex ▲ the Seoul-Dongducheon-Yeoncheon highway. Kim said, "I take pride in having achieved many results for deregulation and regional development in Dongducheon, Yeoncheon, and the border areas, but it is still too early to be satisfied," adding, "That is why a powerful senior lawmaker is needed."

Kim pursues politics aimed at '100 points,' not '51 points.' He said, "My goal is to work to get 100 points, not to engage in 51-point politics just to win elections," and added, "I will work even harder until the people give me a perfect score."

He continued, "Now is the time to take on challenges and achieve results for a greater leap forward, in addition to laying the foundation for the development of Dongducheon and Yeoncheon," and said, "We must revive the stagnant local economy, create jobs, and abolish the complex regulations that hinder regional development. I will devote all my efforts to the greater development of Yeoncheon and Dongducheon."

Kim is also actively engaging with the opposition party. A representative example is the parliamentary research group 'Unicorn Farm,' which supports the growth of startups and venture companies. It started as a group of Democratic Party members, but ruling party lawmakers including Kim have joined and are actively working on legislation and other activities. Kim said, "New industries derived from startup innovation are the core driving force of our resource-scarce economy," and added, "There was a strong consensus among lawmakers from both parties that we should not repeat unfortunate cases like the past 'Tada Ban Law.'"