Kim Kyung-soo Enters Presidential Race, Calls for Unity Against ‘Insurrection’

Summary:

Kim Kyung-soo, former Gyeongnam Governor, has officially registered as a Democratic Party presidential candidate, emphasizing the need to overcome political divisions and implement national reforms. He criticized the ‘anti-Lee Jae-myung’ alliance and urged unity within the Democratic Party.

Full Article:

Kim Kyung-soo, the former governor of Gyeongnam Province, has officially entered the race for the presidency, registering as a preliminary candidate for the upcoming elections. On April 15th, he visited the Democratic Party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, to submit his registration documents.

After completing his registration, Kim addressed the press, stating, “This Democratic Party primary must be a competition to achieve an overwhelming change of government so that we can completely overcome martial law and insurrection. Only then can we completely end the insurrection.” 🇰🇷 (In South Korean politics, the term ‘insurrection’ often alludes to periods of political turmoil and the need for stability.)

He emphasized the importance of unity: “For a national overhaul in politics, economy, and society to overcome the conflicts and confrontations among a completely divided nation and to newly reorganize a Republic of Korea in crisis, the democratic forces, including the Democratic Party, and the forces that protected the constitutional order through impeachment must all join forces in a ‘Revolution of Light’ followed by a ‘Solidarity of Light,’ a ‘Coalition of Light.’ Only through this can the democratic government that will be established through the presidential election succeed.” ✨

Kim added, “I will do my best to ensure that this primary leads to the presidential election, a ‘Coalition of Light,’ and a national overhaul through the complete end of the insurrection.” He appealed to party members and the public to support a primary that would bring new hope to South Korea.

Addressing the ‘anti-Lee Jae-myung big tent’ theory, which suggests an alliance between the center and conservative factions against Lee Jae-myung, Kim criticized the People Power Party (국민의힘, Gukminuihim): “The People Power Party is once again showing its true colors as a mercenary party that seeks to acquire power through mercenaries without producing its own leaders.”

He advised the People Power Party to take responsibility for the impeachment and dissociate itself from insurrectionist forces, stating that this was the only way for them to gain support, even if it didn’t guarantee victory in the presidential election.

The Democratic Party will conduct its preliminary candidate registration for one day and hold nationwide primary elections from April 16th to 27th. Besides Kim Kyung-soo, Lee Jae-myung, and Gyeonggi Governor Kim Dong-yeon have also expressed their intention to participate in the Democratic Party primary. Former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum has announced his withdrawal, while former lawmaker Kim Doo-kwan, who declared a boycott of the primary, is reportedly considering leaving the party and running as an independent or not running at all.