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Former Gov. Kim Kyoung-soo calls for greater 'political diversity' after meeting DP chief

Published: 13 Feb. 2025, 18:59

MICHAEL LEE
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Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, left, shakes hands with former South Gyeongsang Gov. Kim Kyoung-soo during their meeting at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Feb. 13. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Former South Gyeongsang Gov. Kim Kyoung-soo called for a wider diversity of voices within domestic politics in his meeting with Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung on Thursday.

Kim was a member of the DP faction aligned with former President Moon Jae-in, whose influence within the party was later eclipsed by Lee’s political ascent.

In his meeting with Lee, Kim called for “an end to extremist and exclusionary politics” and “efforts to unify the people.”

He also said that the DP should work on building a “wider pro-democracy alliance” to wrest control of the executive branch from the conservative People Power Party (PPP), which is aligned with impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.

If Yoon’s impeachment is upheld by the Constitutional Court, a race to choose his successor must be held within 60 days of the decision.

Kim called on Lee to act on his earlier remarks that “diversity should be a hallmark of a political party” by “laying the groundwork for democratic representation within the party.”

Lee, who is the front-runner in the polls to succeed Yoon, has been accused by Moon’s allies of stacking key DP posts with loyalists since winning the party chairmanship in 2022.

His meeting with Kim is seen by observers as an attempt to mend fences with former DP bigwigs and other left-leaning voices who were sidelined by his rise.

Kim also urged the DP leader to create new offline spaces for members to express their opinions about what direction the party should take.

“A communication structure based on online interactions inevitably leads toward extremism,” he said, adding that “party members should be front and center in policy debates, which should take place across a wide variety of platforms.”

Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, left, walks alongside former South Gyeongsang Gov. Kim Kyung-soo at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Feb. 13. [NEWS1]Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, left, walks alongside former South Gyeongsang Gov. Kim Kyung-soo at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Feb. 13. [NEWS1]

In response, Lee said he agreed with Kim’s criticisms and that the DP should double down on its efforts to consolidate support among politically like-minded people.

“The party’s most important task is to safeguard the constitutional order and defend the lives of the people against the machinations of anticonstitutional and antidemocratic forces,” Lee said in apparent reference to the ongoing political crisis over Yoon’s short-lived declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, which the DP has cast as an attempt to replace democracy with military rule.

“We must join forces with all who are determined to defend the Constitution and overcome the attempted insurrection,” he added.

Kim also warned that history would regard the DP as “villains” if they failed to win the presidency in the next election.

Kim has also been mentioned by political observers as a possible contender for the DP’s presidential nomination.

His meeting with Lee marks his first foray into the political spotlight since he was convicted of conducting an online opinion manipulation scheme to help Moon’s election campaign in 2017.

He was pardoned by Yoon in December 2022 but did not have his right to run in elections restored until the president issued him a special pardon last year.

BY MICHAEL LEE [[email protected]]