Former Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Du-kwan declared his candidacy for the presidential election, becoming the first candidate from the progressive camp to do so. He emphasized that if the Democratic Party conducts its primary with 'A-dae-myeong' (which translates to 'No matter what, the president is Lee Jae-myung'), it would be difficult to ensure victory in the general election.
On the morning of the 7th, former lawmaker Kim held a press conference at the Democratic Party office in Yeouido, Seoul, stating, "Yoon Seok-yeol was dismissed by unanimous decision from the Constitutional Court," and added, "With the resolution of stepping forward boldly, I will run for the 21st presidential election."
Kim noted, "I have decided to run under the name of a constitutional reform president. If it means 'shortening the term by 2 years' for the 7th Republic, I will gladly accept it," and he stated, "For a great transformation of Korea and a national grand reform, we need to pursue a decentralized four-year term constitutional amendment."
He further stated, "If I am elected president, I will establish the value of 'People do not get angry at poverty but rather at unfairness,' thus setting a new standard as a dignified leader of Korea," and emphasized, "Elites without patriotism and bureaucrats without responsibility do not align with the future of Korea."
As campaign pledges for the presidential election, Kim proposed ▲ transformation to decentralized growth focusing on the capital region and large corporations ▲ diplomacy to regain leadership in peace negotiations on the Korean Peninsula ▲ strengthening investment in science and technology ▲ long-term educational reform over 10 years ▲ self-governance decentralization at a federal level.
Kim criticized the current primary system, suggesting a completely open primary system and stated that the A-dae-myeong primary is something that only exists in politically backward countries. He also claimed that the candidate Lee Jae-myung lacks the ability to expand the center and could face defeat like in the last 20th presidential election.
Kim remarked, "I am asked why I run in the A-dae-myeong primary. I run because I cannot guarantee victory in the general election with the A-dae-myeong primary," and added, "An election with a predetermined result is something found only in politically backward countries."
He continued, "We must create a new Korea beyond impeachment. I propose a completely open primary system where all forces that opposed military rule and agreed to impeachment come together," and stated, "The presidential candidate elected through this fully open primary will overwhelmingly become the 21st president, suppressing the Cold War right-wing forces and achieving political reform."