Kim Yong, considered a key pro-Lee figure, declared a bid for supreme council member. Kim, the former head of the Democratic Research Institute, said the party's legislation is not sufficiently backing the Lee Jae-myung administration's pace of innovation, and stressed that conflict should be turned into unity to set the Democratic Party's future course.
Kim Yong, former vice head of the Democratic Research Institute, said on the 8th that he would run in the supreme council election at the party convention. In a news conference, Kim said the party is showing limits in supporting the administration.
He said, "As the party's legislative support has not kept up in time with the Lee Jae-myung administration's pace of innovation, the frustration of party members and the public is growing," and emphasized, "We must convert the energy of conflict into the power of unity and positivity, and present the direction of an irreversible grand transition that the Democratic Party must pursue."
At the same time, Kim proposed tasks centered on resetting party-government relations and reforming the party. Regarding the method for electing proportional representatives, he proposed introducing a direct vote by party members and going beyond the one-person-one-vote system to reflect party members' direct evaluations in lawmaker nominations.
He also said that any agenda proposed by a certain number of party members would be required to be reviewed by the leadership. To reform entrenched interests, he suggested measures such as limiting runs beyond three terms in the same constituency. To strengthen internal oversight and checks, he also proposed creating an independent Party Affairs Audit Office.
Right after announcing his bid, Kim met with reporters and, when asked to assess "the Democratic Party led by former leader Jung Chung-rae," said, "The most important evaluation of a politician is elections." He noted, "Over the past year, the president delivered results and approval ratings approached 70% right up to the eve of the election, but the party failed to win public sentiment in the local elections." He added, "That became the trigger for the approval ratings to fall," and said, "We must reflect with humility, and this party convention should be an opportunity for renewal."
However, Kim's legal risk is a variable. He was indicted on charges of receiving illegal political funds from private developers during the Daejang-dong development and was sentenced to five years in prison in both the first and second trials. He was released on bail in Aug. last year and is awaiting a Supreme Court ruling.