Kim Woong, a member of the People Power Party, has announced that he will not run in the 22nd general election. He is the second incumbent member of the People Power Party to declare non-candidacy, following Jang Je-won.
On the 8th, Kim held a press conference at the National Assembly and said, "I ask whether the current People Power Party is a democratic party," adding, "My answer is 'No,' so I cannot ask the people for their votes."
He stated, "I cannot join the declaration to give up the consent to arrest. That goes against the principles and conservative spirit as a legal professional," and added, "I will not participate in making the constitutional system a laughingstock because of nomination rights."
Earlier, Han Dong-hoon, the emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, set ‘waiving immunity from arrest’ as a criterion for the ruling party’s nominations.
Kim said, "The place where the People Power Party should go is not the president’s embrace but the lowest places in our society," adding, "That is the duty of a conservative party and the key to opening the future. The only power that can defeat the totalitarianism of the activist groups is democracy." He continued, "I have done everything I can, and now I am throwing my last card," and said, "I sincerely hope our party stands upright."
Kim Woong, a member of the People Power Party, is speaking at the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee's audit of the Central Election Management Committee held on the 13th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
Right after the press conference, when meeting with reporters, Kim explained regarding his declaration of non-candidacy rather than leaving the party, "The party where I first started politics is my political hometown," and added, "A political hometown is not something to be discarded recklessly."
Regarding the decisive reason for his non-candidacy declaration, he said, "Since the behavior toward the investigation team leader after the death of a Marine Corps member, I wondered whether I could do the kind of politics I believe in," and criticized, "I am firmly opposed to treating constitutional systems lightly just to catch Representative Lee Jae-myung."
Responding to opinions that the non-candidacy news was sudden, he said, "Since Songpa-gap has become a difficult district even for our party, I had to protect the party branch until the end. I will work for the region during my term."
Regarding reform in the People Power Party, he emphasized, "Our party is very vulnerable in the metropolitan area and among the moderate middle class. We are not providing realistic help to the urban middle class and above living in the metropolitan area," and added, "I think the path for our party will ultimately be determined by whether we bring in the three themes of labor, welfare, and environment."
Regarding joining the tentatively named Reform New Party led by former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok, he said, "I will not change my political hometown. I often talk with former leader Lee, and on the day we started recruiting members, he said, 'Hyung, it looks like we will gather 20,000 people,' so I said, 'If we exceed 12,000, I will buy beef,' and it looks like I will have to buy beef." He also said, "I support the Reform New Party, and the two major parties should reflect. I support the creation of a new party to broaden the choices for the people."
Kim was recruited as the 'No. 1 candidate' talent for the new conservative party by former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min in 2020. A former prosecutor, he was nominated unopposed for Songpa-gap in the 21st National Assembly election when the conservative camp’s unified new party, the United Future Party (the predecessor of the People Power Party), was launched that same year, and was elected as a member of the National Assembly.
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