[Hot Interview] Kim Ki-hyun: "People Power Party is not 'Yoon Seok-yeol's Party'... Opposed to Impeachment"

Floor Leader Exists for Our Party
Yoon: Not a Root Coming In Later
'Impeachment Impossible' Stance Remains Unchanged

Kim Ki-hyun, a five-term member of the People Power Party, opposes the 'impeachment of President Yoon Seok-yeol.' He believes that the moment the president is impeached and suspended from duty, "South Korea will fall into chaos due to conflict and division." After the first impeachment motion against President Yoon was rejected on the 7th, he wrote on his social media (SNS), "The president's grave misjudgment deserves criticism," but added, "The damage caused by the president's wrong judgment should not be passed on to the people or exploited as a stepping stone to empower criminal forces seeking power."

Kim, whose constituency is Nam-gu, Ulsan, served as the floor leader of the People Power Party when it was in opposition in 2021 and was the party leader in 2023. We asked him about his stance on the current situation.

Kim Ki-hyun, Leader of the People Power Party. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The second impeachment vote against President Yoon is scheduled for the 14th, three days from now. Have you decided whether to support or oppose it?

I have publicly stated my decision several times, including the reasons why I oppose the impeachment. I will not hide or act cowardly.

Is your attendance at the second impeachment vote a different issue from the first?

Since the party has decided not to attend as a party line, it is right to follow the party line.

The floor leader election is also coming up on the 12th. Should this election go through a voting process?

It is preferable to endorse a candidate if possible. However, since we are a liberal democratic party, if endorsement is not possible, there is no choice but to hold a vote. There is no other way.

The impeachment motion will pass if only eight members defect during the vote, and the mood among first-term lawmakers in the party seems tense.

Regardless of that, saying that the floor leader is chosen to prevent impeachment is somewhat ridiculous. The floor leader position does not exist for President Yoon Seok-yeol. It exists for our party. What matters is how our party should move forward. Choosing a floor leader to block President Yoon's impeachment? That is an absurd logic.

Then, what direction should the party take going forward?

We are not the 'Yoon Seok-yeol Party.' We are the People Power Party. President Yoon was not originally a member of our party; he joined later. The roots of the party have been preserved by people like me.