Kim Jong-in: "Lee Jun-seok has a high possibility as the next presidential candidate... Han Dong-hoon should rest for about a year"

Han Dong-hoon Advised to "Take About a Year Off"
Not Resolved by 'Prime Minister Park Young-sun and Chief Secretary Yang Jeong-cheol'

Former Reform New Party Standing Advisor Kim Jong-in predicted that Lee Jun-seok, the party leader, "is very likely to emerge as one of the presidential candidates in 2027." On the 17th, Kim said on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "There is a very high possibility that the party's influence (Reform New Party) will expand somewhat through the upcoming local elections," adding, "By then, the era of so-called generational change in leadership will arrive."

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform New Party, and Kim Jong-in, chairman of the nomination committee, are posing for a commemorative photo after being dressed in party jumpers.
[Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@]

He continued, "By 2027, the 1987 Constitution system will have been in place for 40 years," and said, "With the current Sixth Republic constitutional system, the country is showing considerable economic, political, and social turmoil, and if we want to break through this, a generational shift must occur."

On the other hand, regarding Han Dong-hoon, former Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party who resigned after the ruling party's crushing defeat in the general election, Kim advised, "He should rest for about a year." Kim said, "(Han) jumped into managing the election without political experience and inevitably suffered considerable wounds from the defeat," expressing concern that "if he immediately appears again at the People Power Party's national convention, he might get hurt again." However, he added, "He should not just rest unconditionally but go through a process of watching the clock while making efforts to shape his image to the general public in his own way."

Regarding the next People Power Party leadership candidates, Kim said, "Na Kyung-won and Ahn Cheol-soo are being mentioned," but expressed skepticism, saying, "I have experienced all of them, so I don't know if they truly understand the fundamental reasons for this election defeat." On the possibility of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the opposition Democratic Party, emerging as the next presidential candidate, he said, "No one knows how things will change," adding, "Whether a new young person will emerge there or whether Leader Lee will run, no one knows. Even if he is the undisputed number one, things can change within three years."

Kim also predicted that the Yoon Seok-youl administration will face significant difficulties in future governance. He said, "Cooperation is inevitably difficult because the opposition party must work to win the next government, so they do not want the current government to succeed," adding, "If the president does not demonstrate high-level political skills, it will be difficult to lead the opposition."

Regarding reports in some media about 'Park Young-sun as Prime Minister and Yang Jeong-cheol as Chief Secretary,' Kim expressed a negative view, saying, "If they think the current situation can be resolved that way, they are making a huge mistake."