Kim Yong-tae: "'I will kill the scream faction' remark is a sign that Lee Jae-myung is finished and aimed at absorbing fandom"

"Lee Jae-myung, Guilty Verdict Possible on the 25th... End of Political Career"

Regarding the hardline remarks made by pro-Lee Jae-myung (Chinmyeong) faction lawmakers toward the anti-Lee Jae-myung (Bimyeong) faction, Kim Yong-tae, a member of the People Power Party, interpreted, "It seems they are making more extreme statements because they sense that Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party, is practically finished."

Kim Yong-tae, member of the People Power Party.

On the 19th, Kim appeared on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show' and said, "I believe that when Leader Lee Jae-myung is gone, they are making those remarks to use the pro-Lee fandom and fill that void."

Earlier, Democratic Party lawmaker Choi Min-hee caused controversy by stating in an interview with OhmyTV that regarding the active movements of the anti-Lee faction within the party following the first trial verdict on Lee's violation of the Public Official Election Act, "(If they move) I will kill them together with party members." Additionally, Lee Hae-sik, the chief secretary to the Democratic Party leader, was put under scrutiny for likening Lee Jae-myung to a "priest and servant of God."

Kim said, "If the true pro-Lee supporters really care deeply about Leader Lee Jae-myung, they should make a declaration to resign from their parliamentary seats if Lee is found guilty." He added, "However, no lawmakers have declared they will give up their seats or become sacrificial lambs. Ultimately, even the pro-Lee members of the Democratic Party know that a guilty verdict for Lee is likely, and they are making extreme remarks to absorb his fandom and assert their own leadership."

Kim continued, "Many legal experts believe that the verdict on the perjury charge against Lee, scheduled for the 25th, is likely to be guilty. Also, unless circumstances change, it will be difficult to get a reduced sentence for the election law violation charge that already resulted in a guilty verdict." He concluded, "I think Lee's political life is practically over."

Regarding the view that the People Power Party could gain a windfall benefit from the Democratic Party's misfortunes, Kim said, "Unless the risk related to First Lady Kim Keon-hee is resolved, the wall for moderate voters will only become higher."

He emphasized, "The public thinks about fairness and equality before the law. If such standards are applied to the Democratic Party, they will also apply them to the People Power Party." He added, "People might question whether the People Power Party is currently practicing fair rule of law, so this remains an unresolved issue within the party."

He further stated, "In any case, the People Power Party opposed the special prosecutor by party resolution, and the risk related to the First Lady continues to exist." He said, "We need to come up with a solution to resolve this risk, but I have yet to find an appropriate solution, so I am still contemplating."