"Blatantly Trying to Promote as Presidential Candidate" Criticism
Kim Dong-yeon Expresses Opinion Different from Party Line on '250,000 Won for All Citizens'
Former Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Nam-guk directly criticized Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon.
On the 7th, former lawmaker Kim revealed on his Facebook that he listened to the CBS radio program 'Lee Cheol-hee News Show,' where Governor Kim appeared. He then criticized, "There was hardly any discussion on current issues, and throughout the interview, very blatant questions were asked to promote Governor Kim Dong-yeon as a presidential candidate." He added, "Even the 2 or 3 current issues briefly mentioned towards the end were merely formal questions." Former lawmaker Kim said, "Governor Kim's personal background was discussed for the entire 42 minutes," and "I even burst out laughing at the scene where they promoted a book written by Kim Dong-yeon."
He continued, "Former Blue House Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Lee Cheol-hee even read a comment saying, 'It would be great if Governor Kim Dong-yeon becomes the Democratic Party's presidential candidate.' The praise was so blatant that it made listeners feel embarrassed," and "Listening to the broadcast, I felt both of them were pathetic."
Former lawmaker Kim stated, "The Yoon Seok-yeol administration's oppression and tyranny continue. The prosecution's investigation into Representative Lee Jae-myung has been ongoing for three years, and re-investigations of former President Moon Jae-in and opposition figures have also begun." He pointed out, "In such a grave situation, trying to highlight oneself as a presidential candidate by saying, 'I passed the bar exam and even served as a minister, I am a great person,' is just pursuing personal political gain during a crisis."
He added, "Now is the time for politicians to put aside personal goals and ambitions and dedicate themselves to the Democratic Party's governance and greater cause," expressing concern that "Trying to gain political benefits by exploiting this crisis will disappoint both the public and party members." He further emphasized, "We face a great crisis ahead," and "To overcome this crisis, we must put aside political greed and fight with a desperate heart. Now is not the time to pursue individual interests."
Meanwhile, on the same day, Governor Kim said on CBS radio regarding the mention of the 'New Three Kims (新三金; Kim Dong-yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province; Kim Boo-kyum, former Prime Minister; Kim Kyung-soo, former Governor of South Gyeongsang Province)' as rivals to Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, "Many citizens desire a regime change, and I interpret this as a call to expand the forces for regime change."
Also on the same day, regarding the Democratic Party's plan to provide a '250,000 won livelihood support payment to all citizens,' Governor Kim expressed a somewhat different opinion from the party's stance, stating, "In the current situation, I think it is more appropriate to provide thicker and more detailed support to those in need rather than distributing to all citizens."
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