Kim Min-seok Advocates for Broad Political Unity in South Korea

Kim Min-seok, leader of the Democratic Party, has proposed a vision for broad political unity that encompasses both progressive and reformist factions as well as centrist and conservative groups. He emphasized that any candidate unification should be based on competitiveness rather than political shares, while keeping the possibility of collaboration or merger with the Justice Party open.

According to Yonhap News on September 12, during the 'Open Day' event held by the Pyeongtaek local committee, Kim stated, "Our party will pursue a path of unification that embraces progressive parties and individuals, centrist individuals, and those who are conservative yet rational and capable."

He added, "The Democratic Party will take the lead as a structural majority that includes conservatives and centrists, and I will engage in dialogue and collaboration with progressive reform parties and centrist-conservative forces."

Regarding the relationship with the Justice Party, he noted, "We will discuss and decide whether to pursue a merger or collaboration, but the fundamental principle is competitiveness." He also expressed his intention to collaborate with other progressive parties, including the Social Democratic Party, the Progressive Party, and the Basic Income Party.

Kim particularly drew a line against the traditional method of dividing political shares. He remarked, "The era of dividing shares is over. That is old politics. Even if we collaborate with other parties, unification will be based on competitiveness, and candidates within our party will also be chosen based on their competitiveness."

The Pyeongtaek area, where the event took place, experienced a split in the progressive camp during the recent June 3 by-election, where Democratic Party's Kim Yong-nam and Justice Party's Cho Guk competed, resulting in the election of People Power Party's Yoo Yi-dong.

Kim reaffirmed his support for Kim Yong-nam, who competed against Cho at that time, stating, "I hope and will support individuals like Kim Yong-nam to play a larger role in our politics, our party, and our government." Kim appointed Kim Yong-nam as the deputy chair of the party's policy committee shortly after taking office.

In light of the recent decline in support for the government and ruling party, Kim emphasized the importance of addressing people's livelihoods. He stated, "The current state of governance is somewhat more challenging than it was a year ago when I just started my term. Ultimately, the essence of politics is people's livelihoods, and revitalizing livelihoods is the only and most accurate answer to overcome the situation."

Meanwhile, lawmaker Song Young-gil criticized Cho Guk, who had previously campaigned with the slogan 'Zero People Power Party' during the by-election, saying, "There was someone who suddenly came to create a 'Zero Democratic Party' after claiming it was a difficult area for the Democratic Party."