Kim Min-seok Visits Andong, Says He Will 'Add Water to the Hope Planted by the President'

Kim Min-seok, a former Prime Minister and candidate for the Democratic Party leadership, visited Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, today (July 19) and stated, "(Hope) has already been planted by the President, and I intend to add water to it."

Kim made the remarks during a visit to the Andong City Council this morning, responding to Lee Jae-gap, a Democratic Party member and chairman of the city council, who noted, "As this (Andong) is the President's hometown, citizens have high hopes for the Democratic Party."

"The high expectations from the citizens mean they want to see if the Democratic Party can effectively manage local governments and exert a positive influence," Kim emphasized. "I will do my utmost to brainstorm and work hard so that Andong can create a successful model."

Kim Yong, former vice president of the Institute for Democracy, and Lim Mi-ae, former head of the North Gyeongsang Provincial Party, who have registered as candidates for the Supreme Council, also accompanied him on today's visit.

Meanwhile, Kim once again criticized the deposit fees that candidates running for the national convention must pay to the party.

On his social media, Kim wrote, "Compared to the era of leader Lee Jae-myung, youth and disabled candidates must pay 30 million won more for the party leader race and 17.5 million won more for the Supreme Council race," adding, "This is completely incomprehensible."

He further emphasized, "If the party is worried about an excessive number of candidates, they can set other qualifications," and urged, "The party must take practical measures."

On July 16, the first day of candidate registration for the national convention, Kim also pointed out, "The party has raised the deposit fees even higher than before, despite the fact that they were lowered during the era of leader Lee Jae-myung for the purpose of a public management system," adding, "At the very least, they should have significantly reduced them for young candidates."

In this national convention, candidates for party leader and Supreme Council member must pay a total of 100 million won and 50 million won, respectively, including the deposit fees paid upon registration for the preliminary primary.

Candidates who are young and outside the National Assembly receive a 50 percent discount.

In 2024, when the President was the party leader, the deposit fees for party leader and Supreme Council candidates were 40 million won and 15 million won, respectively, and at that time, youth and other eligible candidates also received a 50 percent discount.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.