'Not Running' Kang Min-jung: "Democratic Party Also Responsible for Political Regression"

"Victory of the Democratic Party Important in the General Election"

Among the incumbent lawmakers in the Democratic Party of Korea who have expressed their intention not to run in next year's general election, Kang Min-jung, a first-term lawmaker, stated that "a member of the National Assembly is not a civil servant with guaranteed retirement age" and pledged to do her utmost to win the election. Kang is a proportional representative from the Open Democratic Party.

On the 15th, Kang posted on her social media service (SNS), "There are many positions with authority in the world, but there are things only a member of the National Assembly can do. Above all, it is a position granted one of the biggest speakers to convey one's will to the world. It would be a lie if I said I did not consider running for re-election. However, after deep consideration, I decided not to run as mentioned in the article," she said.

Kang Min-jung, floor leader of the Open Democratic Party, is attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 29th and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

The Democratic Party's Elected Officials Evaluation Committee confirmed by the afternoon of the previous day that two lawmakers, four-term lawmaker Woo Sang-ho and Kang, had submitted letters of intent not to run in next year's general election.

Kang cited "responsibility for political regression" as the reason for not running. She said, "The 21st National Assembly is not free from responsibility for politically and economically regressing South Korea to its current state. The primary responsibility lies with the current ruling party, the People Power Party, but the Democratic Party cannot be said to be free of responsibility either."

She also pointed to party culture as a reason. She said, "There are many points to improve in the institutional environment surrounding National Assembly activities. The party culture is no different. Based on my brief legislative experience, I judged that this is a task requiring quite a long time, and from my personal standards, I thought it was not appropriate to take on this responsibility with a somewhat long breath."

Kang said, "Although only about six months remain, I will do my best to fulfill my role as a lawmaker until the end of my term. In any field, as long as the ruthless rule of the Yoon Seok-yeol prosecutor dictatorship remains, the people's suffering will deepen and reform will only become more distant. Therefore, the Democratic Party's victory in the upcoming general election is important," she emphasized.