Kim Moon-soo "Players Must Follow the Rules"... Accepting the People Power Party Primary Method

People Power Party Narrows Presidential Candidates from Four to Two
Kim Moonsoo Accepts the Rules with Confidence
Begins Official Campaign by Visiting Jeon Taeil Memorial Hall

Former Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moon-soo, who declared his candidacy for the presidential election, expressed his willingness to accept the finalized primary election rules within the People Power Party on the 10th, stating, "Players must follow the rules."

Former Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moon-soo is sitting next to the statue of Jeon Tae-il installed at the Jeon Tae-il Memorial Hall in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 10th. Photo by Yonhap News

After attending the 'Jeon Tae-il Memorial Hall with Youth' event held at the Jeon Tae-il Memorial Hall in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Kim told reporters, "I am a candidate, so it is a bit inappropriate for a player to comment on the rules," expressing his stance.

Earlier, the People Power Party's Emergency Response Committee finalized the primary election rules, which include two rounds of preliminary cuts, narrowing down presidential candidates to four and then two, respectively. The first round will be conducted through a "100% general public opinion poll," and the second round will be conducted through a "50% party member (electorate) vote and 50% general public opinion poll." If a candidate receives a majority in the four-person primary, the candidate will be confirmed without a two-person runoff.

Kim said, "I was only referring to how much change there was based on the previous rules," adding, "I wasn't very interested."

On the same day, Kim Moon-soo began his presidential campaign in earnest, saying, "I think of Jeon Tae-il not as a revolutionary or someone who denies capitalism, but as someone who always thinks about and helps those in difficulty, which is the spirit of Jeon Tae-il."

When asked if visiting the Jeon Tae-il Memorial Hall as his first move after declaring his candidacy was an effort to expand the centrist base, he replied, "There is no relation between centrist expansion and Jeon Tae-il," adding, "The direct reason I started the labor movement was Jeon Tae-il's self-immolation."

He said, "There is a saying that when you hear Kim Moon-soo, you think he only supports wealthy chaebols, businessmen, and rich people, and not workers or the poor at the bottom," and emphasized, "People say I am pro-American and pro-Japanese, but does that mean being anti-American and anti-Japanese is nationalism?"

He continued, "I don't think there is any candidate who knows more about the most struggling laborers at the bottom, ordinary people, farmers, and the regionally marginalized Honam than I do," adding, "My wife's family is from Honam, and I have lived a life of labor."