Kim Jeong-chul, the Reform Party's candidate for Seoul mayor, is known as the lawyer who represented victims of the "Lime scandal," in which the damages alone reached 1.6 trillion won. For the first time ever, a court acknowledged "fraud cancellation" against a financial institution, and he won a first-instance ruling ordering a 100% return of the victims' investments. Kim is also credited with filing a constitutional complaint that led to a ruling of incompatibility with the Constitution, preventing investigative agencies from obtaining subscribers' personal information and communications data from telecom companies without notice.
A David who hurled stones at Goliaths such as the government of Korea and financial institutions has now jumped into the Seoul mayoral race. In an election dominated by the two major parties, the Democratic Party of Korea and the People Power Party, he is seeking another upset as a Reform Party candidate.
On the afternoon of the 21st at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Kim said of candidates Chong Won-o and Oh Se-hoon, put forward by the two major parties, "It will be hard for them to represent 10 million citizens. At a moment when Seoul needs to make a new leap, they are the ones who would hold it back." He said, "I entered the race to represent the quiet majority who are tired of the two major parties and want politics to change," adding, "With the resolve and execution that beat the government of Korea and giant law firms like Kim & Chang, I will change Seoul."
The following is a Q&A with Kim.
-What led you to become a politician from a lawyer.
"While representing victims of the 'Lime scandal,' I won a ruling that, for the first time in Korea, punished a financial institution. But beyond winning that one case, little changed. I concluded that to influence the quiet majority and protect fundamental rights, politics must change."
-Your assessment of the two candidates, Chong Won-o and Oh Se-hoon.
"Candidate Chong Won-o is a defective product. He is nothing more than a defective product wrapped in the packaging of Lee Jae-myung, and is even engaging in misselling. This must be stopped. Regarding an assault while drunk 31 years ago, he invokes diminished capacity and insanity in criminal court and brings up May 18. If he testified that he does not remember, that is insanity. If he has memories of May 18, he cannot claim insanity. A person who cannot apologize for his own wrongdoing, a person who drags May 18 into his excuses—such a person is not fit to be mayor of Seoul."
-Are you saying Chong Won-o is more unfit than Oh Se-hoon.
"Candidate Oh Se-hoon is someone who has stalled Seoul. Even if reelected, he would stall Seoul's development with showcase administration. Candidate Chong Won-o, I think, could even set Seoul back. In that sense, Chong is the bigger problem. That said, candidate Oh should also properly apologize for the GTX rebar omission issue and present safety measures. Even if it is an issue with the contractor, it happened while he was mayor of Seoul, so shouldn't there be a sincere apology and message."
-Is there a possibility of an alliance with candidate Oh Se-hoon and the People Power Party.
"We should distinguish between a policy alliance and an election alliance. It is necessary to come together when speaking rightly. Joining candidate Oh Se-hoon in criticizing the Lee Jae-myung administration's real estate policy or the issue of dropping prosecutions is in the same vein. Likewise, we can coordinate in pointing out candidate Chong Won-o's problems."
-Real estate is the biggest issue in the Seoul mayoral race. What are Kim Jeong-chul's real estate pledges.
"Preventing legal disputes during reconstruction and redevelopment maintenance projects is the shortcut to speeding projects. Candidate Chong Won-o says he will shorten approval procedures, but that has little meaning. Even now, approvals are fast enough; it is the legal disputes on the back end that delay projects.
As realistic measures to prevent legal disputes, I announced three pledges. First, to prevent fights over union leadership, we will introduce a public union leader system. Also, ghostwriting and forgery of documents submitted at various general meetings are serious problems, and we will solve this by introducing Blockchain and electronic signatures. Lastly, we plan to introduce a system that uses AI to inform residents of appropriate contributions. Maintenance projects take 15 years, but simply resolving legal disputes can shorten that to seven or eight years."
-You held your campaign kick-off at Sadang Station. Was there a particular reason.
"In Seoul, our party considers Gwanak and Dongjak the most important areas. Sadang sits between the two and is also a passage for people commuting from Gyeonggi Province. Our party's Cho Eung-cheon is running for Gyeonggi governor, and Seoul and Gyeonggi could also roll out joint pledges on transportation. We believed that from Sadang, the Reform Party could deliver an integrated message about the Seoul mayoralty, the Gyeonggi governorship, and the greater capital area."
-After the local elections, a reshuffling of the political landscape is expected to pick up speed. What is the Reform Party's plan.
"The People Power Party is in a stage of dissolution. There is no potential for development. Over the issues of supplementary investigative powers and dropping prosecutions, the Lee Jae-myung administration could collapse or be impeached. When the two major parties fall, someone must serve as an alternative force. In these local elections, those who work sincerely and deliver a message will be the vessel capable of holding that role."
☞Who is Kim Jeong-chul
Born in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, he moved to Seoul as a child and attended Seoul Deoksu Elementary School, Hansung Middle School, and Mapo High School before graduating from the Department of Law at Korea University. After working as a criminal law instructor, he passed the bar exam and became a lawyer. As a lawyer, he represented victims of the Lime scandal and won. After joining the Reform Party, he served as chief spokesperson and then as a supreme council member.