Kim Yong vows to be 'engine of success' for Lee government, break old Yeouido politics

"In communications among the party, government and presidential office, the ruling party must read public sentiment half a beat faster than the government and clear the path through legislation and policy. I will be the engine that supports the success of the Lee Jae Myung government — preventing legislative delays on key state affairs and delivering tangible results that people can feel in their daily lives."

Kim Yong, former vice president of the Democratic Research Institute and a candidate for supreme council member at the Democratic Party of Korea's Aug. 17 national convention, opened his remarks in an interview on Friday.

Kim is considered an original member of the "Seongnam-Gyeonggi line," having served as a Seongnam city council member in the sixth and seventh terms, then as spokesperson for the Gyeonggi Province government when President Lee Jae Myung was governor, and later as vice president of the Democratic Research Institute when Lee led the party.

"Having shared governing philosophy with President Lee since our days in Seongnam and Gyeonggi Province, and having directly experienced results-driven, pragmatic administration, is a clear strength that is uniquely mine," Kim said. "I will use that strength to serve as a 'glue and bridge' — not getting trapped in Yeouido's entrenched interests, but conveying the voices of grassroots party members to the central leadership without filtering anything out."

Kim is the only non-incumbent lawmaker among the eight candidates who advanced from the original field of 14. "Being outside the National Assembly is not a weakness — it is the greatest competitive advantage for breaking Yeouido's entrenched interests and communicating directly with the field," he said. "It reflects party members' desire to break the old Yeouido grammar, where decision-making was monopolized by Assembly members and specific factions, and to build a party where rank-and-file members, non-incumbent politicians and young people are the true owners," he added.

Kim particularly stressed that "young people must step forward as the main actors of Democratic Party politics," pledging to dramatically lower candidate deposit requirements and create a structure for direct youth participation that enables self-reliance.

Kim also put forward campaign pledges including a cap on running for the same constituency beyond three consecutive terms and a party member evaluation system for Assembly member candidate nominations, calling them "unavoidable reform tasks" aimed at "building a system that allows new talent to take on challenges."

On his own legal risk, Kim pushed back, saying, "Hiding out of fear of the politically motivated prosecutors' outrageous framing is the very act that truly burdens the party and the government." He added that "my experience of fighting targeted investigations and revealing the truth is a powerful weapon for completing prosecution reform and fending off the opposition's offensive." Kim was convicted in both the first and second trials on charges of receiving money and valuables from private developers involved in the Daejang-dong project, and a Supreme Court ruling is pending.

The following is an edited transcript of the interview.

— What do you think the preliminary election revealed about public sentiment?

▶The public sentiment reflected this time is clear: a sense of frustration that "the government is running hard while the party is mired in internal conflict," and an urgency to "rally all of the Democratic Party's strength for the success of the Lee Jae Myung government." Now, in the main election, I will clearly demonstrate a vision not merely of conveying rank-and-file members' wishes, but of becoming a "driving engine" that closely connects the party and the government to produce results people can feel.

— This is the first national convention to introduce a one-member, one-vote system. It appears that the votes of rights-holding party members will determine the outcome.

▶ Rank-and-file members and citizens who wish for the success of the Lee Jae Myung government are my most solid base of support. True party member sovereignty lies in respecting members' free judgment. During the preliminary election, so-called "voting guidelines by birth month" appeared — a childish idea you would not see even in an elementary school class president election, and a form of "faction sovereignty" that mobilizes members as factional votes. I will not rely on artificial alliances, vote-splitting arrangements or factional line-ups.

— There was controversy during candidate registration over the granting of eligibility exceptions. How do you respond to criticism that this amounted to excessive preferential treatment?

▶ The targeted investigation by the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's politically motivated prosecutors, and a prolonged detention of up to 550 days, led to unavoidable circumstances — including the cancellation of the automatic dues-payment account that left me unable to act freely. Treating disadvantages caused by prosecutorial suppression as grounds for disqualifying a party member is tantamount to siding with the logic of the aggressor. Our party rules already contain a reasonable provision stating that "when there is substantial cause, eligibility for election may be recognized through a resolution of the supreme council and party affairs committee."

— You are the only non-incumbent lawmaker among the eight supreme council candidates who advanced to the main election.

▶Incumbent Assembly member candidates are inevitably tied to the National Assembly schedule, but I am not trapped by Yeouido's inertia and entrenched interests — I am out across the country, meeting party members and visiting the field on foot. I can listen most closely to voices from the ground and connect them to legislative and policy outcomes.

— You have put forward pledges including direct election of proportional representation Assembly members, a party member evaluation system for Assembly member nominations, and a cap on running in the same constituency beyond three consecutive terms.

▶ These are unavoidable reform tasks for breaking the stagnant entrenched interests within the party and opening up opportunities for new talent and young people. The intent is to build a system where senior lawmakers' experience and capabilities are put to broader use for the party and the country, while new talent can take on challenges. I will build sufficient public consensus with party members and turn this into a system applied without exception, based on principles and rules.

— Young candidates such as Kim Hyeong-nam and Jeong Min-cheol were all eliminated in the preliminary election for supreme council member. The Democratic Party's approval rating among voters in their 20s and 30s is also declining. Do you have a plan?

▶ The reality that the deposit barrier blocks young people and non-incumbent politicians from running must be corrected. I will dramatically lower deposit requirements in line with the spirit of the public election financing system. Beyond token measures, I will create a structure for direct party member participation that allows young people to become self-reliant, produce results and grow within the party. I will actively bring fresh visions and livelihood policies proposed by young people onto the supreme council agenda, and reverse the approval rating decline by delivering tangible results on fairness and pragmatism.

— The Criminal Procedure Act amendment centered on the complete abolition of supplementary investigative authority has been adopted as the party's official position. How do you assess this?

▶ I have not the slightest deviation from the reform direction of completely separating prosecution's investigation and indictment functions and abolishing supplementary investigative authority. However, the principle of reform must be to prevent innocent citizens from suffering harm. It is essential to carefully establish effective oversight of police investigations and remedial procedures to prevent case delays and shoddy investigations. The binary debate — where supporting the measure means you have a plan and raising the need for institutional safeguards means you are anti-reform — undermines the essence of reform. We must wrap this up swiftly while crafting thorough supplementary measures to achieve a high-quality prosecution reform.

— A Supreme Court ruling is pending in the so-called Daejang-dong development preferential treatment case. There are concerns that if you are elected to the supreme council, your legal risk could burden the party.

▶ My case is not an individual's legal risk — it is a representative case of fabricated indictment by the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's politically motivated prosecutors. The first- and second-instance courts committed a fatal legal error by rejecting the "Google Timeline" as circumstantial evidence. Since there is clear precedent recognizing it in other criminal trials, the Supreme Court will certainly correct this contradiction. Under the constitutional presumption of innocence, I will fulfill the duty entrusted to me by party members and the public without neglecting it for even a single second.

— The regional primary elections begin in the Chungcheong region. Do you have a vote-winning strategy by region?

▶ I will not use electoral engineering strategies such as calculating votes by region, lining up factions, or arranging artificial alliances and vote distribution. In the Chungcheong region, I will emphasize balanced national development, completing the administrative capital, and revitalizing the regional economy. In the Honam region, I will stress the Democratic Party's identity and the completion of reform. In the Yeongnam region, I will speak to expanding the party's reach and overcoming regionalism. In the Greater Seoul metropolitan area, I will offer substantive solutions to housing, transportation, employment and youth issues.