Rep. Kim Young-jin of the Democratic Party of Korea, a key figure in the pro-Lee Jae-myung faction, said that Cho Kuk, leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, should not run in Busan or Ulsan for the upcoming by-elections. Instead, Kim said "partial concessions are necessary" to support Cho's candidacy.
"We need to make a magnanimous decision about Cho's candidacy in line with the spirit of coalition and unity," Kim said during an appearance on MBC Radio's "Kim Jong-bae's Focus" on Friday. "To avoid internal fighting within our camp and make the next two years—until the 23rd general election—a period for the success of the Lee Jae-myung administration, I believe partial concessions are necessary."
Kim was referring to a scenario where the Democratic Party would not field a candidate in the district where Cho chooses to run, as part of a coalition arrangement with the Rebuilding Korea Party. Kim serves as vice chairman of the Democratic Party's talent recruitment committee.
Cho has announced his intention to run in the National Assembly by-elections scheduled alongside the June 3 local elections and is currently reviewing specific districts. Meeting with reporters on Thursday, Cho said, "I will not choose a place that could give the public the impression that I'm picking an easy district," adding that he plans to announce his choice "around next week." Political observers are speculating about metropolitan areas including Hanam-gap in Gyeonggi Province, as well as Busan.
Kim said Busan and Ulsan are unlikely choices, explaining, "Those are districts vacated by Reps. Jeon Jae-soo and Kim Sang-wook who resigned to run for mayor, so they are not what Cho means by 'accountable districts.'"
Regarding Ha Jung-woo, senior presidential secretary for AI and future planning, who has reportedly been asked to run in Busan, Kim said, "The idea is to build something new with fresh faces in Busan and Ulsan, and he fits perfectly. We made a strong request with the intention that he needs to contribute in the political arena for the success of the Lee Jae-myung administration." Kim added that no polling had been conducted to assess Ha's competitiveness before the potential candidacy.
Meanwhile, Kim addressed the recent controversy over party guidelines banning the use of photos taken before President Lee's inauguration in primary campaigns. "This hasn't happened before. This was somewhat unexpected," he said. "In 2014 and 2018, everyone used photos of former President Moon Jae-in."
He explained, "There seem to have been some cases where photos and videos taken two or three years ago were presented as if they were from a week ago. The party issued a notice saying this shouldn't become common practice, but candidates nationwide seem to have been somewhat confused." Regarding reports that President Lee expressed displeasure and ordered an investigation into the source of the coverage, Kim added, "There's really no need for the presidential office to enforce such matters."