- Raising Shincheonji allegations is possible, but not enough to shake the party
- Jung Chung-rae's claim of 'referral to Ethics Committee'? Just a claim during election season
- Kim Min-seok's ETF responsibility theory? Responsibility to be shared by government and ruling party
- Uri Party's Pro-Roh vs. Anti-Roh struggle was 10 times more intense than now
- Additional voting for non-voters? Cannot change current voting method now
- From next convention, design must be revamped to 'speech first, vote later'
- President's approval rating must pursue core supporters and moderate expansion together
- Controversy stemming from Rhyu Si-min spreads like a virus inside the party, causing concern
- Real estate strategy is 'supply no matter what'... financial flexibility for end-users
- Lee's comment 'I haven't read Criminal Procedure Act'? Intended to convey following National Assembly's decision

■ Broadcast: SBS Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show (FM 103.5 MHz 7:00 – 9:00 AM)
■ Date: August 6, 2026 (Thu)
■ Host: Lawyer Kim Tae-hyun
■ Guest: Kim Young-jin, Democratic Party Lawmaker

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: We are joined by Representative Kim Young-jin of the Democratic Party, the "Young Man" who speaks his mind. Hello.

▶ Kim Young-jin: Hello.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Lawmaker Kim, did you watch the second TV debate yesterday?

▶ Kim Young-jin: Yes, I watched it closely.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: When you watch it, do you sigh or cheer?

▶ Kim Young-jin: Well, it was lively.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: The three candidates?

▶ Kim Young-jin: Yes.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Truly lively~.

▶ Kim Young-jin: It was a lively broadcast debate.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: It was indeed vivid.

▶ Kim Young-jin: Yes.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: But the words were so sharp. Watching it, even I get surprised at times. "They're really saying that?" It almost feels like knives piercing each other's hearts. Will it be okay after the national convention ends?

▶ Kim Young-jin: I think it was within the bounds of what can happen in a Democratic Party national convention.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Is that so?

▶ Kim Young-jin: Yes.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: All right. Let's look at them one by one. So you're saying this level of intensity is fine. It's manageable.

▶ Kim Young-jin: It is manageable.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: "We have always been this way"?

▶ Kim Young-jin: Yes.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Let's see if that's really true. Part 1, Shincheonji. Candidate Kim Min-seok asked, "Is raising the Shincheonji issue something that warrants disciplinary action? Is it such a capital offense?" To this, candidate Jung Chung-rae said, "It is an act harmful to the party that endangers its existence. If I become party leader, I will inspect it." That's what was said. Ultimately, if Jung Chung-rae becomes party leader, he said he would inspect Kim Min-seok, and since Kim Min-seok brought up the issue for the sake of the party, if he becomes party leader, he'll have to settle it too. How should this be settled? Should it be covered up here, or should it be thoroughly investigated to the end?

▶ Kim Young-jin: Since there were indeed various discussions regarding the Shincheonji issue, I believe political claims can be raised. There seems to be some difference in how each side views the extent of involvement and the situation itself regarding the Shincheonji issue.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.

▶ Kim Young-jin: So I think it is necessary to verify objective facts, and based on that, the party should take measures according to principles and party rules and regulations.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.

▶ Kim Young-jin: Since it is currently election season, I view it as each making claims from their own perspective.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Then do you think it is right to clear this up once it's over, or is it better to just let it slide? Because if handled wrong, the Shincheonji issue could deal a fatal blow to the party.

▶ Kim Young-jin: In my view, I don't think it will go to that extent. Regarding Shincheonji, during the People Power Party's time, there was actually large-scale involvement that could determine the outcome of selecting the presidential candidate, and because it was an organized intervention from within Shincheonji, the head of Shincheonji was arrested.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.

▶ Kim Young-jin: Right now, the Democratic Party does not appear to be involved on that scale. I believe the party can take action according to the facts as investigated by the joint prosecution-police investigation headquarters.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Then if candidate Jung Chung-rae becomes party leader, do you think he should really refer this to the Ethics Committee?

▶ Kim Young-jin: They will probably discuss it further. They are making such arguments now because it is election season, but I believe the extent of the Democratic Party's involvement regarding Shincheonji will become clear through the investigation by the joint prosecution-police investigation headquarters.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Candidate Jung Chung-rae brought up the accountability theory regarding single-stock leveraged ETFs yesterday, saying, "Many people are shedding tears of blood because of the single-stock leveraged ETF handled recklessly during Kim Min-seok's tenure as Prime Minister." In essence, he is saying, "You created this problem when you were Prime Minister." But while he said Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, isn't he actually targeting the President? Because people say the final architect of this policy was Kim Yong-beom, Chief of Staff for Policy. That's someone in the Blue House, above the Prime Minister. So while he mentioned Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, isn't he essentially saying that citizens are shedding tears of blood because the President made a mistake?

▶ Kim Young-jin: Regarding the launch of products related to single-stock leveraged ETFs, I believe that both market participants and we ourselves needed to proceed after thorough preliminary reviews, simulations, and properly examining the impact on the market. There are various opinions on whether it was necessary to include only two stocks, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, or whether it would have been better to broaden it to allow room to absorb the shock. As for the process and content of introducing that policy, the ruling party and the government are ultimately responsible for the results. So rather than arguing whose fault it is right now, we should examine various details, inspect the system through which products were designed, decided, and prepared, and comprehensively evaluate how well we managed these processes. Therefore, rather than talking about accountability during the primary season, it needs to be discussed and examined in a more refined manner.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.

▶ Kim Young-jin: And regarding single-stock leveraged ETFs, while preparing reserves, education, and conditions for market participants, the number of people participating in those products actually dropped sharply starting a couple of days ago. That was indeed the case. In the beginning, although single-stock leveraged ETF products were actually derivatives, everyone participated as if investing in stocks, which seems to have led to a greater shock.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: So the government and the ruling party share joint responsibility, and at that time candidate Jung Chung-rae was the ruling party leader. I'm curious whether it's right to blame Prime Minister Kim Min-seok saying, "This happened because of you," when he himself was the ruling party leader.

▶ Kim Young-jin: Since it's election season, they are probably saying various things.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Is that so?

▶ Kim Young-jin: Yes.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: And yesterday, candidate Jung Chung-rae spoke about betrayal to candidate Kim Min-seok, asking, "Has your old sickness flared up again?" Candidate Kim Min-seok, discussing the cause of the defeat in the local election, said to candidate Jung Chung-rae, "There's a line to what you can greedily grab." Words typically used during street arguments between ordinary people are popping up. What should be done about this?

▶ Kim Young-jin: As I see it, Jung Chung-rae, Song Young-gil, and Kim Min-seok have all engaged in politics within the Democratic Party for about 30 years. And at crucial moments, they made political choices and judgments. I think all three have their strengths and weaknesses, and made many mistakes at times. So I believe party members with voting rights and the public will evaluate them comprehensively. Therefore, I don't think people will choose someone based on just one single thing.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Looking at a column written by Hankyoreh senior reporter Seong Han-yong, the general content was that if the Democratic Party national convention continues like this, it will be ruined or split afterward, leading to big trouble. Lawmaker Park Jie-won also pointed that out. Lawmaker Park Jie-won is, in a way, the longest-serving person in the Democratic Party right now.

▶ Kim Young-jin: That's right.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Will it really be okay if it continues like this?

▶ Kim Young-jin: I actually share some of those concerns as well. Rather than heading toward such a situation in this national convention, the point we must be cautious of is that over a 20-year period, the Democratic Party experienced two major crises.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Uri Party.

▶ Kim Young-jin: Around 2007, during the final days of the Uri Party, it was divided into Pro-Roh and Anti-Roh factions, engaging in fierce fighting and struggle. The Pro-Roh vs. Anti-Roh struggle at that time felt about 10 times more intense than now. In that process, candidate Chung Dong-young lost by 5 million votes in 2007. And the division lasted about six or seven years, until 2010 and 2012. We must not go down that road. Back in 2007, key figures left the party during the Pro-Roh vs. Anti-Roh fight. Then in 2015, while operating as the Democratic United Party, it split into the People's Party, continuing a history of division. Therefore, while we have debates and discussions, I believe we should take the party splits of 2007 and 2015 as cautionary lessons and not go that far. So looking closely, I hope the party's internal debate and the leadership election end up like 'cutting the Han River with a knife'—a dispute that leaves no lasting divide.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: So looking at it now, what is the current outlook?

▶ Kim Young-jin: In terms of the outlook, the Chungcheong region and the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam region account for only about 2 to 3%. The Honam region and the Seoul metropolitan area account for 71%. So I think it's important to continue voting until the end, and with Honam at around 30% and the metropolitan area at around 40%, the outcome will be decided in these two regions.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Ultimately in Honam, Seoul, and Gyeonggi.

▶ Kim Young-jin: The capital area.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Who has the advantage?

▶ Kim Young-jin: We'll have to see.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: You probably have a thought in mind, but it seems hard to say. Right?

▶ Kim Young-jin: I know all three candidates well, and my consistent principle from a neutral stance is that I hope the Democratic Party advances strongly, serving as a good ruling party that makes the Lee Jae-myung administration successful.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: All right. Regarding issues mainly raised by pro-Lee Jae-myung supreme council candidates—they said similar things when interviewing with me—voting first and giving speeches later. Shouldn't people vote after listening to speeches? What's the point of giving speeches after voting is already done? Many pro-Lee supreme council candidates pointed this out. So, taking issue with that method, they argue that non-voters should be given an extra chance to vote, advocating for additional voting. In response, pro-Jung candidates react strongly, saying "Does that make sense?" Candidate Jung Chung-rae even called it a "voting coup." How should this be resolved?

▶ Kim Young-jin: They can certainly voice such regrets.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: The pro-Lee candidates?

▶ Kim Young-jin: Yes, they can express regrets, but actually this format of party leader and supreme council elections has continued for over 10 years. So while I also see the issues, I think changing the voting method right now is inappropriate. For now, we should proceed as decided, and address the current problematic points when designing the system starting from the next national convention. Whether conducting campaigning first and voting later, or considering that the voting period spans four days rather than one, designing it practically is not easy.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.

▶ Kim Young-jin: So while keeping the ceremony of voting first and speaking later for now, we should reorganize the process later to hold speeches first, then voting, and then collect remaining votes at the end. I believe designing that should happen after this national convention ends, and right now we need to proceed as decided. Because campaign strategies differ among candidates. High voter turnout is favorable for some teams or candidates, while low turnout is favorable for others. That's why right now, each side needs to campaign harder to encourage more voting.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: But why are these claims coming from the pro-Lee faction? Is there a particular intention?

▶ Kim Young-jin: Rather than any special intention, I think participating in the leader primary and supreme council primary gives candidates that feeling. Because voting finishes before campaigning, candidates feel that going to the site to campaign loses its purpose.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: It does lose some steam.

▶ Kim Young-jin: Since the candidates feel that, it comes across directly to them.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: I see.

▶ Kim Young-jin: So I believe system improvements should be made precisely later, and then designing whether to hold batch voting for those who missed it or campaigning first and voting later.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: I see. Let's talk about the President's approval rating. The approval rating has slowed down. In fact, it was very strong for the first year after taking office, but has slowed down since the local election.

▶ Kim Young-jin: Yes.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Regarding the cause, candidate Jung Chung-rae said, "The President's approval rating is serious. I am the 'anchor man' who can hold onto the support base." In short, like Kim Ou-joon says, he seems to claim the President's rating is shaking because core supporters are leaving. Candidate Kim Min-seok said, "Doing poorly in the local election pulled down the approval rating." Meaning that because the local election results were bad under then-party leader Jung Chung-rae, the aftershocks extended here. Whose diagnosis is correct?

▶ Kim Young-jin: Isn't each diagnosis about half right?

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Is that so?

▶ Kim Young-jin: I think the reason the presidential and party approval ratings are undergoing adjustment is that the Lee Jae-myung Democratic Party administration has failed to satisfy the public in some areas, leading to a downward slope. So I believe we need to assess comprehensively how to address that issue.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.

▶ Kim Young-jin: Expanding approval ratings through both core supporters and moderate expansion actually raises overall support. It shouldn't focus solely on core supporters or moderate expansion alone. So I believe it is necessary to build relationships of solidarity and unity rather than elements of division and conflict. My concern over the debates sparked by former Minister Rhyu Si-min spreading like a virus in our party lies in this point—dividing party members into A, B, and C categories, using terms like 'foul stench,' or talking about the 'inevitable failure of the Lee Jae-myung administration.' Creating internal conflict affects everyone from our supporters to the general public, so I think we need to tidy up our interior and settle internal disputes.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Internal conflict?

▶ Kim Young-jin: So regarding the spread of those conflicts, I believe we need to coordinate, show patience, and endure together. Since over a year has passed for the Lee Jae-myung administration, the honeymoon period is over.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Right. Now it's down to actual results.

▶ Kim Young-jin: Absolutely. A truly difficult time has arrived where the ruling Democratic Party and the Lee Jae-myung administration are evaluated based on policy achievements, so I believe we must endure this tough period together.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Internal division aside, the President's approval rating after taking office was actually much higher than the vote share he received in the election. That was because moderate-conservative and moderate voters supported him, thinking "Lee Jae-myung works well and gets results." But recently, real estate remains poor, the stock market plummeted after performing well, and citizens are worried about abolishing supplementary investigative powers. Will things be okay?

▶ Kim Young-jin: Various factors were likely reflected. Complex issues like real estate policy, current stock market conditions, and various public trends combined to reflect in party and presidential approval ratings, so we need to properly organize and address those issues one by one.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.

▶ Kim Young-jin: Regarding the overall direction of real estate policy, although tax policies were mentioned, the priority should be supply above all else—speeding up redevelopment and reconstruction in the metropolitan area, significantly increasing supply in third-generation new towns, and while doing so, opening up housing supply for first-time newlyweds and youth so that end-users can own homes, along with implementing flexible financial policies. We need to reassure citizens using various methods that we are walking together with them. As for the stock market, it actually rose sharply. Because it rose quickly, it's undergoing adjustments, but in the long term, global market prospects for semiconductors and AI are heading in a very positive direction, and since our industry leads in those fields, I believe it will move in the right overall direction.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.

▶ Kim Young-jin: So while there are concerns regarding various situations, I don't foresee major long-term difficulties.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Regarding the amended Criminal Procedure Act, the President said at the Ministry of Justice work report yesterday, "I haven't read the amended Criminal Procedure Act." And when passing it in the Cabinet meeting the day before yesterday, he said, "It is difficult to view it as a situation so serious as to deny legislative authority." Thinking carefully about these comments over the past few days, I get the impression that the President doesn't particularly like this amended Criminal Procedure Act.

▶ Kim Young-jin: I cannot know his inner thoughts, but President Lee Jae-myung said before discussions on the Criminal Procedure Act that he would proceed as decided by the National Assembly. The National Assembly revised the Criminal Procedure Act through extensive discussions. Regarding supplementary investigative powers, through fierce debates between maintaining necessary parts objectively versus firmly organizing them and strengthening the right to request supplementary investigations, it was organized toward strengthening the right to request supplementary investigations. Therefore, I view it as the executive branch intending to respect and follow the decision of the National Assembly.

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: One last question. It was reported that at the Cabinet meeting, the President said to Minister of Justice Jung Sung-ho, "Hang in there." Can this be interpreted as saying he won't accept his resignation offer?

▶ Kim Young-jin: Wouldn't it be a remark to put public duty before personal interest, work hard to organize things until the launch of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency on October 2, and think about personal matters after that?

▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Understood. We will end here for today. We have been speaking with Democratic Party Lawmaker Kim Young-jin. Thank you.

▶ Kim Young-jin: Thank you.

Copyright of this interview material belongs to SBS Radio.
When publishing in full or quoting this interview for news reports,
please state the channel name and accurate program name as below.

[SBS Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show]