Inside the Democratic Party of Korea, disagreement is intensifying over whether former Democratic Research Institute Deputy Director Kim Yong, who was found guilty again on appeal on charges including taking illegal political funds, should run in the National Assembly by-election. Concerns are being raised that the bid by the former deputy director, a close aide to President Lee Jae-myung who is awaiting a Supreme Court ruling, will be a "backlash" for the Democratic Party. Pro-Lee figures, however, say this election will be a "judgment on the political prosecutors" and argue there is no problem with his run.
Kang Deuk-gu, a top member of the Democratic Party, wrote on Facebook on the 19th, "Some say (the former deputy director) should run after the Supreme Court ruling," adding, "But I cannot agree." He said, "The time the former deputy director had to endure was not a mere personal ordeal," and added, "It was a period when this country's democracy regressed, and it was the time of the political prosecutors' power with Yoon Suk-yeol at the apex."
Kang said, "If we ourselves define it as a fabricated indictment, then demanding that the victim first prove innocence is no different from shifting politics' responsibility onto the judiciary." In particular, he said, "In 2010, the Democratic Party nominated Lee Kwang-jae, who had received a first-instance guilty verdict in the Park Yeon-cha scandal, as Gangwon governor, and public sentiment supported that choice," adding, "The current situation of the former deputy director Kim is no different."
Earlier, Rep. Seo Young-kyo also wrote on Facebook the previous day that "during the investigation aimed at then-presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, former Democratic Research Institute Deputy Director Kim Yong and former Democratic Party of Korea chief of staff for political coordination Jeong Jin-sang suffered serious harm," adding, "It is time to return everyday life to those who were hacked apart by political prosecutors."
◇ Even original pro-Lee figures say, "We have never nominated a candidate awaiting a Supreme Court ruling"
There is strong pushback. Rep. Kim Young-jin, called a member of the "original pro-Lee (pro–Lee Jae-myung) group of seven," said in a radio interview on the 16th, "The Democratic Party, as a public political party, has never in the past nominated a candidate who is awaiting a Supreme Court ruling," adding, "Though there is much pain and difficulty, it is reasonable to nominate in line with the public's expectations." In response, the former deputy director Kim said, "In an election of insurrection and judgment on political prosecutors, Kim Yong running is not a headwind but a tailwind."
The former deputy director Kim, whom the president once called "a person like my alter ego," received a five-year prison sentence on appeal on charges including taking illegal political funds. He was released on bail in Aug. last year and is awaiting a Supreme Court ruling. He has recently and repeatedly stated publicly that he wants to run in the by-election in Gyeonggi. Inside and outside the party, Ansan-gap, Pyeongtaek-eul, and Hanam-gap in Gyeonggi are being mentioned.
The opposition is mounting an offensive, calling it a "criminal nomination" and a "mockery of the rule of law." Park Sung-hoon, chief spokesperson of the People Power Party, said in a commentary, "If not for being a close aide to the president, the place where the former deputy director Kim should be now is not the campaign trail but an ice-cold prison," adding, "A criminal suspect exploiting loopholes in the law to claim to represent the public is an insult to voters."