Kroea Times, March 23, 2007
By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
A lawmaker of the minor opposition Democratic Party (DP) Friday denounced the second son of former President Kim Dae-jung for running on the DP's ticket in the by-election.
The DP nominated Kim Hong-up as its candidate to run in the Muan-Sinan electoral district, South Cholla Province, in the National Assembly by-election slated for April 25, even though there were four other applicants, Rep. Chough Soon-hyung said.
``The party can strategically nominate a certain person who is essential, but Kim does not satisfy the requirements. It's the wrong decision,'' Chough said.
Kim had planned to run as an independent. But on Friday, he received a letter of nomination from DP Chairwoman Chang Sang.
Some people and lawmakers said the nomination is a scheme to win the by-election in the district where Kim Hong-up's father was born. Kim Dae-jung was born on the remote Haui Island off Mokpo.
Kim Dae-jung, a Nobel Prize laureate, won the 1997 presidential election on the ticket of the now-defunct Millennium Democratic Party (MDP), the predecessor of the DP.
Chough claimed that it is too early for Kim Hong-up to enter the politics.
``He has a critical defect in that he has just gotten out of jail and I heard that local sentiment in the region is not in his favor,'' the six-term lawmaker said. ``I think he should do some community service for the time being to demonstrate self-discipline.''
Chough added that he should have considered that high moral standards are required from him as a son of the former president.
Kim, who serves as a vice head of the Kim Dae Jung Peace Foundation for the Asia Pacific Region, was arrested in 2002 on charges of taking bribes from companies and sentenced to two years in prison a year later. But he was granted a special pardon in 2005.
The pro-government Uri Party has also criticized Kim Hong-up.
``The DP's nomination diminishes his father's reputation and puts a burden on his shoulders,'' an Uri spokesperson said.
As for the criticism, Kim Hong-up said in a statement, ``I will be reborn as one who serves the people, not as the son of the former president.''
Kim Dae-jung, the architect of the engagement policy on North Korea, dubbed the ``sunshine policy,'' is concerned about his son's running.
``I feel sorry for people but hope that he will serve the district and nation after being judged in the election,'' he was quoted as saying by Choi Kyung-hwan, a secretary to the former president.
Comments