Kim Yongtae: "People Power Party Is Like a Mayfly... Populists and Election Fraud Theorists Should Be Top Priority for Reform"

Internal Strife Deepens in People Power Party Ahead of Convention
Kim Yongtae: "Emergency and Innovation Committees Are Just for Show"
"Innovation Committee Should Set Clear Priorities for Personnel Reform"

Kim Yongtae, former emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, described the current situation of the party as being "like a mayfly." In an interview on CBS Radio's "Kim Hyunjung's News Show" on the 15th, Kim said, "Rather than solving the party's chronic and fundamental problems, we just try to deceive the public by setting up an emergency committee for a day, then an innovation committee for a day. In the end, I can't help but think that the party looks like a mayfly."

Kim Yongtae, former emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

Kim pointed to the parliamentary caucus as the main obstacle he faced during his tenure as emergency committee chairman. He said, "I proposed five major reform bills, but every time we held a caucus, there were factions that rejected reform, raising procedural issues or arguing that the emergency committee chairman did not have the authority to speak on such matters, or criticizing why the chairman would bring up such issues without prior consultation. There were many critical opinions," he said. "Some even called me a dictator. I also thought it was a serious problem that there was a disconnect between the parliamentary caucus and the views of the party members as a whole."

Yoon Heesook, the current innovation committee chair who took office on July 9, recently mentioned the "eight major incidents" that led the party to its current state. These are: △ the crushing defeat in the presidential election, ▲ the attempt to replace the presidential candidate, ▲ Kim Moonsoo's reversal on candidate unification, ▲ protests in front of the presidential residence, ▲ the controversy over former leader Han Donghoon's posts on the party members' message board, ▲ proportional representation nominations for the 22nd general election, ▲ the amendment of party rules and the petition scandal for the benefit of specific individuals, and ▲ neglecting the distortion of state affairs.

Regarding this, Kim said, "I agree with the direction that personnel reform is needed," but added, "While each criterion is clear, having as many as eight makes it seem as if, in reality, there is no intention to carry out personnel reform." He continued, "It feels like the standards were set by saying, 'You did wrong, and you did wrong,' but with such a balancing act, it's difficult to achieve real personnel reform. I wish they would pick one or two priorities out of the eight. If the standards are made clear now, the next party leader won't be able to ignore them."

Kim explained that, in his view, the top priority for personnel reform should be "populist politicians who are exploiting the party's core supporters." He said, "There are still people in the party who see martial law as an enlightenment order, or who talk about election fraud. These people should be the primary targets for personnel reform." He emphasized, "There need to be measures such as not running in the next general election or even forced exclusion."

Having declared that he will not run in the party convention, Kim also spoke about his future plans within the party. He said, "I will start a movement to bring together lawmakers who advocate reform and create a new conservative party," adding, "There are already lawmakers who have agreed to this."