Lee Hae-rin is a City Desk reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues, tourism and taekwondo. She is passionate about speaking up for the rights of minorities, including women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and animals as well as discovering the latest makgeolli trend in town. Feel free to reach her at lhr@koreatimes.co.kr.
From conservative to liberal: Kim Sang-wook jumps to DPK to build 'healthier' party
Kim Sang-wook, a nonpartisan lawmaker who left the conservative People Power Party, holds a press conference in Gwangju, Sunday, to declare he is joining the liberal Democratic Party of Korea. Joint Press Corp.
By Lee Hae-rin
Independent lawmaker Kim Sang-wook announced Sunday that he would join the liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), saying his decision was aimed at “building a healthier DPK.”
His declaration comes just 10 days after he left the conservative People Power Party.
“I will practice politics for the people,” he said during a press conference at the May 18th National Cemetery in the southwestern city of Gwangju, “After leaving the PPP, I wondered which role I should play in which party, and finally decided to join the DPK today.”
A vocal critic of ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, Kim was one of the few People Power Party (PPP) lawmakers who took part in the Dec. 7 impeachment vote against Yoon, while the rest of the PPP boycotted the proceedings.
Kim staged one-man protests outside the National Assembly, urging fellow PPP lawmakers to support Yoon’s impeachment.
He argued that the PPP no longer has the capacity to represent true conservative values, saying it has lost its way as a political party.
“The PPP has become almost nonfunctional as a political party,” Kim said. “Even if it ends up as the opposition [after a Lee Jae-myung victory], it won’t be able to fulfill its role of checking the ruling power.”
“There’s only one answer,” he added. “The ruling DPK must become healthier and find its own internal balance. It needs to lead not only as the progressive force, but also take on the role of the conservative counterbalance.”
Rep. Kim Sang-wook of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) stands in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, Dec. 13, 2024, asking fellow lawmakers to vote for the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol over his surprise martial law declaration. Korea Times photo by Koh Young-kwon
Kim, a first-term lawmaker representing the conservative stronghold of Ulsan, had faced mounting pressure from the PPP for defying its pro-Yoon stance during the recent political turmoil.
“If the DPK abuses its power, I will speak out firmly and say it’s wrong,” he said. “I want to practice politics for the people and lead on the right causes from within the DPK.”
He was referring to how the DPK, which holds a majority in the National Assembly, pursued the impeachment of top government officials despite opposition from the PPP under the former Yoon Suk Yeol administration.
He said that he had been bullied by fellow party members and received death threats from voters after publicly supporting the impeachment of Yoon over his martial law declaration.
On May 8, Kim formally left the People Power Party, saying he was choosing the path of “true democratic conservatism” and declared his support for the DPK presidential candidate.
He joined Lee on the campaign trail Friday in Iksan, a progressive stronghold in North Jeolla Province, and publicly endorsed him — describing Lee as a “true conservative” in both values and leadership.
Rep. Kim Sang-wook, right, a nonpartisan lawmaker who left the conservative People Power Party, hugs Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) during Lee's campaign in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, Friday. Yonhap
“When I hear what Lee says on the campaign trail, it’s almost exactly like what I have always had in mind; it’s surprising,” he said.
In response, Lee invited Kim to the stage and introduced him as “a lawmaker who was kicked out of a fake conservative party for trying to engage in real conservative activities.”
Lee added, “I hope we can help him realize the true conservative values and the spirit of rational conservatism within the DPK.”
With Kim’s defection to the DPK, the party now holds 171 out of 200 seats in the National Assembly, while the PPP’s representation has dropped to 107.
Rep. Kim Sang-wook, center, former People Power Party lawmaker who joined the liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) on Sunday, receives a name tag as the DPK's election clerk at the party headquarters in Yeouido, Monday. Yonhap