- Assembly Speaker's remarks at first press conference were a prepared answer, not a slip of the tongue
- First time bringing up consecutive terms for the sitting president, an extremely serious matter
- Abandoning duties as head of legislature to show sole loyalty to Lee... Are they in their right mind?
- Movements in ruling camp to attempt reelection... Rhyu Si-min saw through it and launched a direct hit
- Kweon Young-jin grabbing by the collar was a big mistake... Embrace rather than impose excessive discipline
- Jang Dong-hyeok's 'nomination' remarks hint at intention to seek consecutive term as party leader
■ Broadcast: SBS Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show (FM 103.5 MHz 7:00 – 9:00)
■ Date: July 29, 2026 (Wed)
■ Host: Attorney Kim Tae-hyun
■ Guest: Kim Sung-tae, former People Power Party lawmaker
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Who made him angry today and why? It is time for "Angry Sung-tae" on Wednesdays, with former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Sung-tae. Hello, Mr. Kim.
▶ Kim Sung-tae: Hello, I am Kim Sung-tae.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: What made you the angriest this week?
▶ Kim Sung-tae: It is hot this week, so I was going to let things slide if possible, but yesterday something truly mind-boggling happened. When the weather gets hot, the first fish to go bad at the fish market is pollack—its eyes turn and it goes bad.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: That would be because of the heat.
▶ Kim Sung-tae: But no matter how hot it gets, how can the Speaker of the National Assembly go bad? In that respect, yesterday, he abandoned his role and calling as the head of the legislative branch to practically check the president. His boundless loyalty toward President Lee Jae-myung, who made him a special advisor to the president, is something he should keep in his own heart. Why does one give up party affiliation when becoming National Assembly Speaker? It is precisely because of the heavy responsibility of the position as Speaker to look solely toward the people.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶ Kim Sung-tae: But looking at what he said yesterday, I feel like saying things I cannot even utter on air. I wonder, "How could someone in their right mind say such a thing?"
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: It is true that his tone is a bit different from previous remarks by former Speaker Woo Won-shik or other Democratic Party lawmakers on this matter. However, looking at the explanation released later yesterday by the National Assembly press office, they said he was making a principled point—that constitutional revision is ultimately a matter of choice for the public. What intention do you think Speaker Cho Jeong-sik had?
▶ Kim Sung-tae: Yesterday was his first press conference since taking office as National Assembly Speaker. Usually, the reporter from Yonhap News Agency coordinates question turns with the National Assembly press office and other reporters in advance. So if the response was an off-the-cuff slip of the tongue, we might let it pass. But that was not the case. The Yonhap News reporter asked a prepared question, and he gave a prepared answer.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: So you mean it was not just casually dropping a principled remark like a slip of the tongue, but bringing it up with a specific intention.
▶ Kim Sung-tae: Of course. Speaker Cho Jeong-sik said that constitutional revision for a sitting president's reelection is a matter of choice for the sovereign people, didn't he?
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶ Kim Sung-tae: So in Speaker Cho's case, after receiving the reporter's question, he added that while the issue is premature, it is something that needs agreement among various political stakeholders. He even expressed the position that opinions would be gathered on this matter later by a constitutional advisory committee or special committee on constitutional reform. Although Speaker Cho is someone who has previously expressed principled stances on constitutional reform for a four-year, two-term system, this is the first time he has mentioned constitutional reform allowing reelection for the incumbent president. That is why, as National Assembly Speaker, even without specifically citing Article 128, Paragraph 2 of the Constitution, the Constitution clearly stipulates that amendments shall not be effective for the president in office at the time of the proposal. He is not someone who wouldn't know this clause.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶ Kim Sung-tae: Despite this, bringing up that discussion can be seen as one of the efforts within the ruling camp—including the presidential office and the Democratic Party—to stoke the fires for constitutional reform to allow President Lee Jae-myung's reelection.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Do you see it as stoking the fires, or testing the waters by floating the idea?
▶ Kim Sung-tae: The opposition People Power Party has raised many suspicions about that matter, hasn't it? Every time, they denied it completely, and the Democratic Party leadership repeatedly dismissed the debate on constitutional reform for reelection as a political conspiracy theory based on the Constitution and parliamentary seat counts. Yet, Speaker Cho Jeong-sik—who was President Lee Jae-myung's special advisor for political affairs before becoming Speaker...
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Special advisor for political affairs.
▶ Kim Sung-tae: ...and who was picked by President Lee Jae-myung to defeat candidates like Park Jie-won and Kim Tae-nyeon in the Democratic Party's primary for Assembly Speaker to take the post himself, right?
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶ Kim Sung-tae: For such a person, of all people, to hint that an incumbent president could also seek reelection through constitutional revision is a very serious issue.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: So you are saying that they had that idea in mind and intentionally floated it to gauge public reaction.
▶ Kim Sung-tae: Yes, core figures around President Lee Jae-myung—the so-called pro-Lee faction. This time Speaker Cho Jeong-sik made remarks as head of the legislature that were truly astounding. But there are others as well. For example, what did Minister of Government Legislation Cho Won-chul say at the National Assembly last October? When asked whether a constitutional revision for reelection would apply to the sitting president, as Minister of Government Legislation he could have shut it down immediately by saying "that makes no sense," but how did he answer? Do you remember him answering that it is ultimately a decision for the public to make?
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶ Kim Sung-tae: How clean would it have been if he had answered, "You asked a question that is impossible because it is unconstitutional"? But he did not answer that way. He said it was ultimately a matter for the public to judge, and yesterday Speaker Cho Jeong-sik also said choice and decision are matters for the public to judge. It is the exact same thing.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Regarding Speaker Cho's remarks yesterday, Rep. Han Dong-hoon pointed out that Plan A to eliminate President Lee Jae-myung's legal risks is dropping the charges, and Plan B is constitutional revision for reelection. Do you think that analysis is accurate?
▶ Kim Sung-tae: Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon certainly has good instincts. Although he has not been in politics long, being able to read the situation like this makes him no different from a seasoned politician. Recently, ahead of the Democratic Party's national convention on August 17, one person standing in opposition to the current pro-Lee faction is author Rhyu Si-min, right?
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Author Rhyu Si-min.
▶ Kim Sung-tae: Why did he suddenly bring up the claim that presidential reelection is impossible? Let me explain. Connect it with the context of what I have been saying.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: In late May, appearing on YouTube, author Rhyu Si-min said, "Reelection is legally impossible. Yet they premise that it is possible and claim Cho Kuk, Moon Jae-in, Rhyu Si-min, and Kim Ou-joon are blocking it, branding us as 'pro-Moon.'" That is what he said.
▶ Kim Sung-tae: Yes.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Looking at recent morning newspaper columns and articles, some analysis and opinion pieces suggest that author Rhyu Si-min directly attacked the president out of concern that pushing for dropping charges or constitutional reform for reelection would severely hurt the Democratic Party in the next general and presidential elections. Do you agree with that view?
▶ Kim Sung-tae: That is right. Why do people in the democratic progressive camp read author Rhyu Si-min's books as soon as they are published? Although he gets many things wrong, he is someone with foresight. He is a person who has spent his entire life in the democratic progressive camp. Someone who has observed former presidents from DJ to Roh Moo-hyun and Moon Jae-in. Looking at President Lee Jae-myung's recent political statecraft, party-presidential office relations, and every single move of key pro-Lee figures, this is not just empty talk.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Then, Mr. Kim, are there actual attempts within the core of the ruling camp—setting aside dropping charges for a moment—to actually extend President Lee Jae-myung's term through constitutional revision for reelection? People preparing with that mindset?
▶ Kim Sung-tae: Right now in the ruling camp, especially at a certain core level around the president, things beyond common sense are happening regarding the president's trials, aren't they? Groups are formed related to dropping charges in presidential cases, and they are trying to launch a special counsel empowered even to drop charges. All these things. And National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik practically hinting that an incumbent president could also seek reelection through future constitutional reform...
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: ...means some scenario is underway?
▶ Kim Sung-tae: Isn't this operating under a division of roles? Otherwise, yesterday Speaker Cho Jeong-sik gave that kind of apology—well, expressing regret. It was not even an apology, just regret, saying people misunderstood. He should issue a public apology and make a public declaration alongside the apology that during his two-year term as Speaker in the second half of the National Assembly, under no circumstances will there be constitutional reform for presidential reelection.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: So since he isn't doing that, something is underway, and author Rhyu Si-min brought up the reelection constitutional reform and directly targeted the president because he knows it. That's what you're saying.
▶ Kim Sung-tae: Yes.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Understood. Let's watch this issue a bit more. Let's talk about internal People Power Party matters. You served as floor leader. Originally, designating executive secretaries for standing committees and assigning committee members is the floor leader's authority, right?
▶ Kim Sung-tae: Yes.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Is it usually noisy when doing that?
▶ Kim Sung-tae: Very noisy.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Did you also face protests back then?
▶ Kim Sung-tae: Especially in the first half of the Assembly term, lawmakers don't know all the ins and outs, so when the leadership makes a decision, lawmakers get assigned to committees with little complaint, even if they're excluded from popular committees or ones matching their expertise.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶ Kim Sung-tae: But in the second half when forming the committee structure, lawmakers prepare for the next general election. They need to show achievements to local constituents and build their political image in their area of expertise. So they desperately need to get into the committee they want. That's why forming committees for the second half is the hardest task for a floor leader.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: So were you also grabbed by the collar or protested against back then?
▶ Kim Sung-tae: At that time, I even served as acting party leader for a few months while being floor leader. So while I wasn't grabbed by the collar, I was belly-bumped and had my arm twisted by people.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Really?
▶ Kim Sung-tae: When holding someone's arm, they could just try to stop me or hold my arm, but twisting my arm while pulling it off—does that hurt or not?
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: It hurts. Belly bumps, too.
▶ Kim Sung-tae: Exactly like that.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Then regarding this incident, Rep. Kweon Young-jin used physical force by grabbing someone by the collar. How do you view it?
▶ Kim Sung-tae: On that point, Rep. Kweon Young-jin really made a big mistake. That's why he immediately apologized, apologized to fellow lawmakers, and went directly to floor leader Jeong Jeom-sig to bow his head and apologize sincerely. So floor leader Jeong Jeom-sig recognized his sincerity and accepted the apology.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: He said yesterday that he personally hopes for leniency.
▶ Kim Sung-tae: And he requested leniency as well, didn't he?
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Then how should the disciplinary action be handled?
▶ Kim Sung-tae: In that regard, I'd like to share this story. During the first year of the Moon Jae-in administration when I was floor leader, during my hunger strike and sit-in demanding a special counsel for the Druking scandal, a Democratic Party member came on the third or fourth day of my hunger strike and hit my jaw, dislocating it. Even so, when his parents spent two days at the National Assembly trying to bow their heads and apologize to me for their child's wrongdoing, I heard they were waiting somewhere in the Assembly building and told them to come in. I told them I would make sure there was no problem, and I submitted a petition to the Yeongdeungpo Police Station asking for his release. That is the duty of a politician, that is politics.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶ Kim Sung-tae: So rather than the People Power Party trying to enforce party discipline through ethics committee disciplinary decisions...
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: People are talking about recommending party departure or expulsion.
▶ Kim Sung-tae: This issue should first be resolved politically. Only then can a conservative party with over 50 years of governing experience hear the public say, "The People Power Party actually handles politics well." Anyone can just punish a mistake or fault at the ethics committee according to party constitution and rules.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Then, Mr. Kim, at yesterday's Supreme Council meeting, floor leader Jeong Jeom-sig didn't attend at all because he was an involved party. Do you think talk of recommending party departure or expulsion came up because the opponent was Rep. Kweon Young-jin? Because he practically leads "Alternative and Future" and was the loudest in calling for leader Jang to step down.
▶ Kim Sung-tae: That's why if the disciplinary decision turns out to be excessive and beyond public common sense, it could reignite that controversy.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Like "We caught Kweon Young-jin"?
▶ Kim Sung-tae: That's why, like ground hardening after rain, even if non-mainstream Rep. Kweon Young-jin has said many painful things, if the party leadership mainstream pats him on the shoulder, shows comradeship and fellowship, encourages and embraces him saying "you can make mistakes," that would be the very beginning of the party changing.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Understood. Last question. Leader Jang said yesterday: "A political party's goal should be to nominate people who unite as one for four full years to fight alongside party members, not lawmakers who briefly show up around nomination time, cling only to whoever holds nomination power, and then go missing for three and a half years." There are no nominations during his current term unless by-elections take place next April. Yet he brought up nominations at this timing. Why do you think he brought it up?
▶ Kim Sung-tae: Right now, Leader Jang Dong-hyeok doesn't have the momentum to prolong controversy or confusion over the June 3 election results within the party. That's why I view his statement as expressing the nuance that he will lead the party for a time by bringing reform, renewal, and a vision, and if his term ends next year—or perhaps he'll decide sooner—he could challenge for a consecutive term.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: You mean, "I'm going to run for reelection with hardcore party members, and I'll be the one nominating you next time, so play nice with me"—something like that?
▶ Kim Sung-tae: That's your own analogy, Kim Tae-hyun.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶ Kim Sung-tae: At any rate, expressing a strong determination to run for reelection can be done that way.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Meaning he'll use his nomination power against sitting lawmakers who try to shake him, during the next general election?
▶ Kim Sung-tae: It could be an expression of his commitment to strong leadership.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Understood. We'll wrap it up here. That was former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Sung-tae. Thank you.
▶ Kim Sung-tae: Thank you.
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