Kim Kyungsoo: "Vote Concentration Leaves Other Candidates Overlooked... I Struggled With the Tough Battle"

"Like an Egg Hitting a Rock? Someone Must Be the Egg for True Unity"
"Overwhelming Support for Lee Jaemyung... The Top Contributor Is Yoon Sukyeol"

Kim Kyungsoo, former governor of Gyeongnam and a presidential primary candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated, "The number one contributor to the overwhelming support for candidate Lee Jaemyung is former President Yoon Sukyeol."

Kim went on to say, "If candidate Lee finishes the primary with an overwhelming vote share until the end, the main contributors will be the People Power Party and former President Yoon." He added, "They have made the public so anxious that it is now difficult to even discuss the future of South Korea. As a result, there is an even stronger tendency within the party for votes to concentrate on the candidate perceived as most likely to win, making it difficult for other candidates to attract attention to what they have prepared."

He remarked, "Before entering the primary, I struggled a lot because it was clearly not going to be an easy fight. Many people told me it would be like 'an egg hitting a rock.' However, regardless of personal gain or loss, someone has to be the egg. Only then can the Democratic Party truly unite and make this a primary where everyone wins," he added.

Kim Kyungsoo, former governor of Gyeongnam and a preliminary presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

Kim also addressed the People Power Party's presidential contenders, saying, "For Korean politics to normalize, it is important for the conservative party to properly establish itself. To do so, at the very least, they must end any association with forces that have destroyed the Constitution." He emphasized, "Even for the normalization of Korean politics, the People Power Party candidates must clearly state their positions on what needs to be done for the party to be reborn as a true conservative party during this presidential election process."

He continued, "The People Power Party still carries the label of being 'the party that possesses Yoon Sukyeol.' They must decisively break away from the impeached president. They need to apologize to the public, and regardless of whether they supported or opposed the impeachment, now that the result is out, the party must clarify its stance and outline how it will move forward." He added, "If they simply watch and try to muddle through the presidential election without taking a clear stand, it will be difficult to gain the support of the people."

Regarding the potential presidential candidacy of Han Ducksoo, acting president and prime minister, Kim criticized, "If he runs, it will be a choice that brings unhappiness to everyone. It will result in unhappiness for himself, for the People Power Party, and for the people."

He pointed out, "We have already seen, on several occasions, what happens when those who are not politically prepared and have spent a long time as bureaucrats run for office." He continued, "This also publicly exposes the People Power Party as a party that relies on outsiders." He added, "The reason a political party exists is to nurture and produce political leaders to run the government. If they keep bringing in outsiders and treating them as leaders, the party loses its very reason for existence."