Kim Kwan-young, an independent candidate for Jeollabuk-do (Jeonbuk) governor, took aim at Democratic Party leader Jung Cheong-rae, saying, "Common sense says that if I win, Chairman Jung Cheong-rae should resign, but I don't know whether he will or not."
Kim made the remarks Monday on MBC Radio's "Kim Jong-bae's Focused Attention" when asked about the background of his statement that he would apply to rejoin the Democratic Party of Korea in September rather than immediately after winning. "I think the (Jung Cheong-rae) leadership needs to change," Kim said. "There is a party convention in August, and I will also work to ensure the leadership changes at the convention. Then I will rejoin the party."
Kim also pushed back against Chairman Jung's argument that "if the Democratic Party collapses in Jeonbuk, President Lee Jae-myung is in danger," calling it "an absurd claim." "Yesterday, Chairman Song Young-gil made heartfelt remarks," he said. "I was the first person President Lee recruited as a talent, and rather than concentrating party resources here, the party should be focusing its strength on Pyeongtaek, Daegu, and Gyeongnam, where it is competing against the People Power Party. Now is not the time to concentrate party resources in Jeonbuk."
He continued, "However, from Chairman Jung Cheong-rae's personal standpoint, because a nomination-judgment backlash over flawed nominations is emerging, he probably considers the Jeonbuk election the most important for himself. But I think it will be difficult to bend the will of the province's residents."
Regarding the complaint filed by candidate Lee Won-taek's camp accusing him of publishing false information over his remark that he had consulted with President Lee about the inevitability of running as an independent, Kim said, "You have to look at the full context of what the president said." Kim said, "(The Presidential Office) said there had been no phone call, but the final election is up to the candidates and voters. And they said they hoped not to be drawn into political disputes." He added, "The Democratic Party keeps turning this into a political issue and making me out to be a liar, but the Presidential Office's senior secretary for public relations said I am not a liar." He added, "Everything will come to light after the election is over."
On Jeonbuk recording the nation's highest early voting turnout (with Gwangju and South Jeolla combined for estimation purposes), Kim said, "I have heard many people say, 'I was going to abstain in this local election, but because Governor Kim Kwan-young is running as an independent, I will go to the polling station this time.'" He added, "I think this is the result of a sharply growing public sentiment that residents themselves will make the judgment."
