Ha Tae-kyung "Kim Ki-hyun's resignation should allow Ulsan candidacy... Needed role in Nakdong River Belt"

"Lee Jun-seok Solidifies New Party Formation... Complete Opposition Stance"

As Kim Ki-hyun, the leader of the People Power Party, enters a period of deliberation amid rumors of his resignation, Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the People Power Party, suggested, "I hope the party can come up with an exit strategy where Leader Kim resigns and is allowed to run in Ulsan."

On the 13th, Ha said on SBS's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' "He might resign from the leadership position and also decide not to run, or be pressured into not running. In that case, instead of opening an honorable exit, it feels like too much pressure is being applied."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Since the previous day, Leader Kim has canceled official schedules and entered 'deliberation mode,' and the political circles are viewing that he is contemplating not running or resigning from the leadership position.

Ha said, "When I talked about the resignation from the leadership position, it was not because he shouldn't be in politics, but out of an urgent feeling that the party's face needs to change for victory in the metropolitan area elections," adding, "The leadership position must be changed for election victory, and if he makes such a decision, I hope the party would tolerate his running in Ulsan as a compromise."

This is because Leader Kim can exert influence in the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam (Bu-Ul-Gyeong) region. He said, "There are not many people who can play a role in ensuring our party's complete victory in the Bu-Ul-Gyeong region," and "Leader Kim has considerable influence in the Bu-Ul-Gyeong region, so his role in leading the elections there to a complete victory remains meaningful."

He added, "To win the Nakdong River Belt, Leader Kim's role is necessary," and "Even if Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon comes as the emergency committee chairman, he would have to travel nationwide. Someone needs to be responsible for and lead the Nakdong River Belt elections. In my view, Leader Kim is the most suitable person."

Regarding Leader Kim's future, Ha commented on former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok's social media post mentioning Yongsan, saying, "He has completely made up his mind to form a new party," and "It is a complete opposition stance. It is not a position to recycle the ruling party but to weaken the ruling party and strengthen the opposition, interpreting and asserting political issues from that perspective." Former leader Lee had claimed on social media the previous day, "Reflect on whether the reason two elected party leaders were pushed out before completing their terms is because the leaders themselves were eccentric or because the president they worked with was eccentric."