- Running for party leader? Playing the role of opening the floodgates to push up the older generation
- An old party, a vested-interest party is our current reality... The '686' generation must end
- Not in a position to ask for Moon's permission, will meet him after the national convention
- Clash between Kim Min-seok and Jung Chung-rae? That is why the 2030 generation is leaving
- Hope not to be viewed as a pro-Moon candidate... Must break pro-Myung and pro-Chung factions
- Jung Chung-rae's leadership? Dissatisfied because communication and discussion have disappeared
- Kim Min-seok's "harm of self-serving politics" remark, did he really have to do that?
- A former prime minister running for party leader? Is our party that weak?
- 'The Third Way'? Discussable, but no expansion can happen without a core
- Merging with the Rebuilding Korea Party? Difficult to pursue right now, solidarity first
- Cho Kuk's 'Ilbe detection method'? Does it look that way... It was too excessive
■ Broadcast: SBS Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show (FM 103.5 MHz 7:00 – 9:00)
■ Date: July 8, 2026 (Wednesday)
■ Host: Attorney Kim Tae-hyun
■ Guest: Representative Ko Min-jung of the Democratic Party of Korea
[Kim Tae-hyun]: She is the one who announced her plan to declare her candidacy for party leader today, saying that a generational shift is needed in the Democratic Party. Let's hear the reasons for her candidacy in advance with Representative Ko Min-jung of the Democratic Party of Korea. Hello, Representative.
[Ko Min-jung]: Nice to meet you.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: It's been a while, Representative.
[Ko Min-jung]: Yes. Why did you take so long to invite me?
[Kim Tae-hyun]: I know, right?
[Ko Min-jung]: You should have invited me much sooner.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: You're right. It's our production team's fault. We need to do better.
[Ko Min-jung]: Yes. Please reflect on it.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Of course. We should see you more often. But I really love things like this. Just earlier, when Representative Kim Dae-shik was leaving and you were coming in, you greeted each other so warmly. Anyone would have thought you were from the same party or the same faction. It's because seeing ruling and opposition party lawmakers greeting each other so warmly...
[Ko Min-jung]: Is it not common?
[Kim Tae-hyun]: It's not common these days.
[Ko Min-jung]: Is that so?
[Kim Tae-hyun]: You know that. Even members of the same party aren't on good terms right now. Both the People Power Party and the Democratic Party are in a state of civil war.
[Ko Min-jung]: I tend to get along with everyone even within my own party, and Representative Kim Dae-shik is a true gentleman. When we work in the standing committee, he doesn't cross the line and respects the other side. I think we just click well.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: So I thought it was such a great scene to watch, the kind of moment that should be captured.
[Ko Min-jung]: Next time, please invite both of us together.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Shall we?
[Ko Min-jung]: We will still fight when we have to fight.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: That's good. Fight when fighting is needed, but still harmonize when it's time to harmonize, without crossing the line.
[Ko Min-jung]: Right. That is actually the path of national unity that all past presidents have wanted.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: But these days, the People Power Party is crossing the line a lot, and looking at the Democratic Party, there are mentions of "cold medicine" and "self-serving politics." They are practically stabbing each other in the gut.
[Ko Min-jung]: Yes.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: And you are running for party leader in this situation?
[Ko Min-jung]: Yes.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Are you declaring your candidacy today?
[Ko Min-jung]: I have to go and do it right after this broadcast.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Will you do it at the National Assembly press hall?
[Ko Min-jung]: Yes.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Then, what is Ko Min-jung's reason for running?
[Ko Min-jung]: There are two things. One is unity, and the other is youth. All the current candidates are talking about the importance of the 2030 generation. But why do they keep leaving? They are leaving because they hate seeing the Democratic Party behave like this. It's unfair, hypocritical, and trying to lecture them. But well, although not all candidates have registered yet, unfortunately, the three expected candidates seem to perfectly epitomize the very behavior that the 2030 generation is pointing out.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.
[Ko Min-jung]: I don't know if I can pull off that role, but I believe that pushing up the older generation is ultimately the role that the younger generation must play. If I can open the floodgates, I believe other juniors below me will also be able to rise up.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: This time, the Democratic Party lost the Seoul mayoral election, contrary to expectations. One of the various analyses of the cause is that the 2030 votes dropped.
[Ko Min-jung]: Indeed, that is how it is analyzed in my constituency as well.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Really? In your constituency too?
[Ko Min-jung]: Yes.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: But among the various reasons why the 2030 generation is turning away from the Democratic Party, there are analyses saying that the Democratic Party has become a "586 vested-interest party," so the 2030 generation cannot relate to it. Is that what you are pointing out?
[Ko Min-jung]: That's correct.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: All three of these candidates belong to the so-called 586 generation, who did a lot of student activism in the past, so they are of the same generation.
[Ko Min-jung]: They are all around the same age.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: So we must prevent the Democratic Party from being seen as a 586 vested-interest party?
[Ko Min-jung]: Now they are 686.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Now they are 686.
[Ko Min-jung]: How long do we have to go from 486 to 586 and now 686?
[Kim Tae-hyun]: It started with 386.
[Ko Min-jung]: Exactly. So I hope it ends now. We failed to empathize with the 2030 generation on the outside, and we failed to nurture them on the inside. Even just 10 years ago, there were various diverse voices within the Democratic Party, yet it felt energetic, full of fight, and capable of communicating with young people. But now, it has become the oldest party and a vested-interest party, which I believe is our current reality.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: So by bringing about a generational shift within the Democratic Party, preventing it from looking like a 586 vested-interest party, or to put it more provocatively, a "586 kkaendae (old school/boomer) party"...
[Ko Min-jung]: I didn't put it that way.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: So, you, Ko Min-jung, want to prevent it from becoming a 586 vested-interest party through a generational shift. Is that right?
[Ko Min-jung]: Yes. I won't know how far I can be chosen until the lid is opened, but how can we make any change without a challenge? Even if it is a path to failure, I will resolutely jump in.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: What does unity mean to you?
[Ko Min-jung]: Right now, many analyze it as a two-way race. But there is so much risk and anxiety among party members that no matter who wins, the party might split. That comes from their desperation because they love the party so much and feel we must never scatter. If we truly embrace that desperation of the party members, even if someone attacks me, we should sometimes endure and be patient. Everyone knows. They know that person is being beaten up for no reason. But I don't understand why they can't do that.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Both sides?
[Ko Min-jung]: Yes. So, mutual unity—solidarity and unity within our democratic-progressive camp—is the only way to save the Republic of Korea. I believe former President Moon Jae-in and President Lee Jae-myung are the two who feel this most desperately, which is why they met recently. So, while I don't know how much of a role I can play, I really want to act as the glue that says, "Let's never scatter."
[Kim Tae-hyun]: When you made your decision to run, did you speak with former President Moon Jae-in? Should I call it a consultation or a report?
[Ko Min-jung]: Although he is someone I deeply respect and like, my position is not one where I need to ask for permission.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Right.
[Ko Min-jung]: So, I plan to visit him as soon as the national convention is over.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: So you see the recent meeting between President Lee Jae-myung and former President Moon Jae-in as a symbolic scene showing the kind of unity you are talking about, right?
[Ko Min-jung]: Yes.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: After that, the fighting in the Democratic Party's national convention should have subsided, but it doesn't seem to be the case. Even after that, clashes have intensified with talk of "cold medicine" and other things.
[Ko Min-jung]: That is why the 2030 generation is leaving. It's like going to the neighbor's garden and looking over the fence at our own garden; you can see the whole shape of it.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Right.
[Ko Min-jung]: That is exactly how the Democratic Party is right now. People on the outside, including the 2030 generation, or even the People Power Party or whoever, they all know what the Democratic Party needs to do to survive, but we are the only ones who don't know and keep fighting. The frustration is beyond words.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.
[Ko Min-jung]: The former president and the current president are keeping some distance as they were and are presidents for everyone, so their sense of desperation is very acute.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: If you run, since the media loves dividing people into factions, will Representative Ko Min-jung become the leading candidate of the pro-Moon faction?
[Ko Min-jung]: I hope they don't view me that way. But the media will write what they want no matter how much I deny it. That's why I'm not even setting up a campaign office this time and plan to run on my own. Very gratefully, this year marks 10 years since I started politics, and quite a few seniors are cheering me on, saying they will support me no matter what I do. I am very grateful for that.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.
[Ko Min-jung]: But while I am advocating to stop factional politics and unite, lining those people up behind me would contradict my message of breaking down factional politics. So I plan to run on my own.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Because the media likes to analyze and blow things up a bit, they even classify the clash between Kim Min-seok and Jung Chung-rae as a fight between pro-Chung and pro-Myung, or pro-Moon and pro-Myung.
[Ko Min-jung]: Yes.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: But with your entry, there are analyses saying that former Representative Jung Chung-rae's pro-Moon color has faded significantly. Aren't you, after all, the true successor of the pro-Moon faction? Because former President Moon Jae-in picked you, you served as the Blue House spokesperson, and you are a two-term lawmaker, so no matter what anyone says, you started your political career with former President Moon Jae-in.
[Ko Min-jung]: If you see it that way, I am honored. However, I hope my entry creates a crack in the current national convention landscape.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Moving away from factional fighting?
[Ko Min-jung]: Yes. I want this pro-Myung versus pro-Chung structure to break. And I hope the battle of the 60-something '686' generation is also disrupted by me, who is calling for a generational shift. That way, party members will find it interesting to watch, and the public will have a variety of choices.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Since you mentioned it, I should change the terminology starting today. To be precise, '686' is correct now.
[Ko Min-jung]: Right?
[Kim Tae-hyun]: True. Since they are all in their 60s now.
[Ko Min-jung]: Yes.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Regarding former Representative Jung Chung-rae going to meet former President Moon Jae-in recently at the International Book Fair...
[Ko Min-jung]: Yes.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: You said, "If the intention is read, there is no touching emotion." Yesterday, you also expressed that you have some dissatisfaction with former Representative Jung Chung-rae. What part are you unhappy with right now?
[Ko Min-jung]: Since he is someone who has led the party until now, it is probably dissatisfaction with the incumbent party leader. Communication has disappeared. And discussion has disappeared.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Within the party?
[Ko Min-jung]: Yes.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Really?
[Ko Min-jung]: The reason President Lee Jae-myung kept requesting that we go through deliberation is because, having spent three years in the Blue House as a partner in state administration next to the president, the process of public consensus is an area that the Blue House cannot handle. But a political party is a place where progressives and conservatives can sometimes fight fiercely, right?
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Right.
[Ko Min-jung]: So there needs to be a process of clashing hard inside and sometimes persuading each other, but without that, from some point on, it just ends when it is decided in the general meeting of lawmakers as "this is the party line."
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.
[Ko Min-jung]: And was it just the day before yesterday? They said they would implement a preferential voting system (where voters rank all candidates in order of preference), and I don't care which candidate that favors or disadvantages. This is the same. Previously, when the National Convention Preparation Committee decided on something, whether it got leaked to the media or not, a public debate would spark. Pros and cons would clash fiercely. Through that process and subsequent supplements, a final conclusion would be reached.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.
[Ko Min-jung]: But now, they just hand it down. "We go with this." This is exactly what lacks communication, and because of that, it constantly raises suspicions of unfairness. Therefore, the person representing our Democratic Party at the center has no choice but to bear that responsibility. He might feel it's unfair, thinking, "I didn't do all of that."
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.
[Ko Min-jung]: But as the party leader, it is a position where one must take all responsibility. Sometimes you have to endure even things you didn't do, and if you take on a debt for that, the public will surely repay that debt someday. But saying "I did nothing wrong" is, well, not something a party leader should say.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Then, former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok directly criticized it, calling it "the harm of self-serving politics." Do you agree with that expression, "the harm of self-serving politics"?
[Ko Min-jung]: It is unfortunate because that, too, is being read as a means to attack someone. He made those remarks knowing that, didn't he? He is a master of politics. I feel regretful about whether he really had to do that.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Former Prime Minister Kim's expression?
[Ko Min-jung]: Yes. And another thing is, we always talk about the separation of powers among the legislature, executive, and judiciary like a textbook, but the public is watching how much our political sphere is actually realizing it. For someone who was the second highest in the executive branch after the president to run as the leader of the legislature's giant ruling party, was it really unavoidable because there was no one else suitable? It makes me wonder if our party was really that weak.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: So you are saying both former Representative Jung Chung-rae and former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok have issues, that they are both doing their own self-serving politics, and putting their own safety before the success of the president. Is that right?
[Ko Min-jung]: Honestly, all three of them are presidential contenders, aren't they?
[Kim Tae-hyun]: That's true.
[Ko Min-jung]: I want those presidential contenders to play as players. I will be the referee. I will build the playing field. I am not at the age or caliber to run as a presidential contender yet. However, I believe our Democratic Party has a duty to nurture, create, and produce excellent leaders who can succeed the next Lee Jae-myung administration. Since that is the very first step to making the Lee Jae-myung administration successful, I want to ask them to play as players.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Understood. Representative, Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik recently mentioned "the Third Way." This seems somewhat similar to the "structural expansion of the majority" that the president talked about. But there seems to be opposition within the Democratic Party regarding the Third Way mentioned by Chief of Staff Kang. Someone close to former Representative Jung Chung-rae even used the expression "collusion." How do you view the Third Way and the structural expansion of the majority? Because if you become the party leader, this is related to the direction of how to lead the Democratic Party.
[Ko Min-jung]: First of all, I hope they don't use words that cross the line.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Words like collusion?
[Ko Min-jung]: Yes, words like collusion. I hope they don't. It is an area we can fully discuss and debate. However, can there be expansion without a core?
[Kim Tae-hyun]: That's true.
[Ko Min-jung]: You need a solid piece of coal to roll it in the snow and make a snowman. But trying to make something new without that is completely rewriting the board.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.
[Ko Min-jung]: So I hope we can be honest about that, and when we speak honestly about it, we can receive the judgment of the public. I felt this a lot regarding the relationship between the party and the Blue House when I was at the Blue House. When I just entered the National Assembly from the Blue House, I got scolded a lot. "Why did the Blue House do that?" It felt so disappointing.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: That can happen.
[Ko Min-jung]: The party and the Blue House should be one, so why are they pouring out so much resentment? But looking back, after 10 years, I think the relationship between the party and the Blue House should be like railway tracks. That is, always maintaining a certain equal distance while moving toward the same goal. If they merge at some point, an accident happens. If they separate, the railway tracks cannot be maintained. Just as a married couple should be, maintaining a railway-like relationship between the party and the Blue House would be the healthiest for the public and for the Republic of Korea.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Understood. This will likely be the last question. If you become the party leader, this will probably be an issue during the national convention. What will you do about merging with the Rebuilding Korea Party?
[Ko Min-jung]: Right now, the reality is that our Democratic Party members are not convinced or understanding of it. I think we must accept that. Dragging them in under the pretext of forced integration is coercion. That is exactly what we must avoid.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.
[Ko Min-jung]: Then, what can we do right now? We must revive the spirit of solidarity.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: That must be done.
[Ko Min-jung]: In the past, before the general election, we allied not only with the Rebuilding Korea Party but also with the Progressive Party and many other progressive parties, almost like one body. But now, it is completely broken. I think reviving that spirit of solidarity is the first task.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: So a merger is not something to be pursued right now. Is that what you mean?
[Ko Min-jung]: It is difficult.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Understood. Lastly, this has also become a hot potato lately. The "-no" suffix detection method sparked by former Representative Cho Kuk.
[Ko Min-jung]: I only found out after seeing that. Does it really look that way? I think it is too excessive.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Former Representative Cho Kuk's raising of the issue?
[Ko Min-jung]: Yes. Of course, whether its origin is indeed like that might be something to look into. But in any case, since I am a former announcer, wouldn't I be very sensitive to things like standard Korean?
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.
[Ko Min-jung]: But if citizens used this expression knowing it was hate speech, that would be a problem. However, if that's not the case and they just used it as a dialect of that region, I think that's understandable. So I think it is too excessive.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Understood. We will wrap up here today.
[Ko Min-jung]: Is it already over?
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes. Now you are going to declare your candidacy, right?
[Ko Min-jung]: I see.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Representative, I hope your candidacy declaration goes well.
[Ko Min-jung]: Thank you.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: We will stop here. That was Representative Ko Min-jung of the Democratic Party of Korea. Thank you.
[Ko Min-jung]: Thank you.
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