[Interview] Ham Woon-kyung "The country will thrive better by clearing out activist politics"

People Power Party Strategically Nominates Candidate for Seoul Mapo-eul
Set to Face Off Against Democratic Party's Jeong Cheong-rae

Ham Un-kyung, chairman of the Democratic Movement Comrades Association and a former central figure of the 586 activist group, has been strategically nominated as the People Power Party candidate for Mapo-eul. On the 23rd, Jeong Young-hwan, the People Power Party’s nomination committee chairman, stated, "He is a person dedicated to eradicating the harm caused by activist politics."

In June, at the People Power Party study group event 'National Sympathy' held at the National Assembly, Ham Woon-kyung, a former activist, was explaining the 'dilution' with bottled water while discussing the Fukushima contaminated water. [Image source=Yonhap News]

In a phone interview with this paper on the 23rd, Chairman Ham said, "We must eliminate activist politics that hold back the country’s progress to create a better nation." He also said, "Those who became lawmakers with activist backgrounds have actually ruined Korean politics," adding, "They fail to represent the hopes of Democratic Party supporters, but I believe the People Power Party will represent them well, so I decided to take on that role."

Ham, who led the 1985 occupation protest at the U.S. Cultural Center in Seoul and served as chairman of the Seoul National University Sammin Struggle Committee, is known as a prominent '586 activist who turned away from activism.' At a discussion on the 31st of last month titled "Historical Evaluation of Activist Political Forces for the Elimination of Privilege and Special Treatment," Ham pointed out that "(activists) hardened a dual attitude of pursuing secular political interests while simultaneously wrapping themselves in ideological rhetoric" upon entering politics.

It is said that the People Power Party’s recruitment offer had been made long ago. However, Ham kept declining, thinking the timing was not right. He said, "If there is a role for me to play, I will, but I felt it was not just about joining the party, so I declined several times." Subsequently, People Power Party lawmaker Lee Cheol-gyu personally persuaded Ham. Ham said, "(Lawmaker Lee) said he wanted to create a party that represents the people and offered the recruitment, so there was no reason for me not to be moved."

Ham will face off against incumbent Democratic Party lawmaker Jeong Cheong-rae in Mapo-eul. Jeong is also a former activist and a close aide to party leader Lee Jae-myung, making Mapo-eul a symbolic district in this general election. Originally, People Power Party emergency committee member Kim Kyung-ryul planned to run here but withdrew amid a 'sa-cheon controversy.'