Presidential dark horse? Debate puts former rights lawyer in spotlight

Kwon Young-gook, the presidential candidate of the Korean Democratic Labor Party, campaigns in Seongbuk District, Seoul, May 13. Yonhap

By Park Ung

• Published May 22, 2025 3:13 PM KST
• Updated May 22, 2025 5:57 PM KST

Kwon Young-gook grabs public's attention in televised face-off

Following Sunday’s first presidential debate, one of the most common reactions online was: “I didn’t even know who Kwon Young-gook was,” casting a spotlight on the presidential candidate of the progressive Korean Democratic Labor Party.

At 6 p.m. that day, Kwon’s Google Trends score — a measure of real-time search interest — stood at just 2. By 9 p.m., during the debate, it had skyrocketed to 100.

With less than two weeks until the June 3 presidential election, the liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) candidate Lee Jae-myung is leading the race, while conservative People Power Party (PPP) candidate Kim Moon-soo and Lee Jun-seok of the minor Reform Party trail behind.

Now, attention is turning to Kwon — a human rights and labor lawyer who refused to shake hands with Kim, blamed the PPP for the declaration of martial law and flashed a red card to protest U.S president Donald Trump’s trade policies during the debate.

Kwon was born in 1963 in Taebaek, Gangwon Province, to a poor coal miner's family. Growing up, his dream was to afford tuition for his younger siblings. However, after enrolling in Seoul National University’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering in 1981, Kwon was confronted with the harsh political realities of Korea.

The year before Kwon entered university, the regime of former military dictator Chun Doo-hwan violently crushed the pro-democracy movement in Gwangju, South Jeolla Province, using guns and bayonets.

“I was walking back to the dormitory after my morning classes when I suddenly heard a ‘bang-bang’ sound — tear gas canisters had exploded,” he later recalled. “I saw an older student being dragged away by police, bleeding. Even as he was taken, he shouted, ‘Down with the murderer Chun!’ I just stood there, frozen for what felt like ages.”

In 1985, Kwon took a research job with a defense contractor, but was fired after a few years for his involvement in union activities.

He fought to regain his job alongside colleagues facing similar challenges, but was unsuccessful. Over the next four years, he lived a turbulent life — alternating between being on the run, in detention and in prison — all while continuing his fight for reinstatement. With a family to support and encouragement from those around him, he began preparing for the national bar exam in 1996.

After three years of rigorous training, he passed the exam and became a licensed attorney. Kwon turned away from more lucrative legal paths and chose instead to focus on labor and human rights law. Nicknamed the “advocate of the masses,” Kwon became known for his presence at nearly every major protest and labor rally across the country throughout the 2000s.

Kwon decided to enter politics in 2014, when the Supreme Court ruled against the laid-off workers in the SsangYong Motor Company — now KG Mobility — mass dismissal case, which he handled personally.

“I still remember how devastated I felt, watching the workers sob in front of the revolving doors, unable to leave the courthouse,” he recalled. “That ruling shattered any remaining faith I had in judicial justice. It was then I seriously began to consider stepping into politics.”

Kwon first ran for the National Assembly in 2016 as an independent in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, earning over 15 percent of the vote — a surprisingly strong showing for an unaffiliated candidate — but fell short of winning a seat. He ran again in 2020 and 2024, but was unsuccessful both times.

Now, ahead of the 2025 presidential election, Kwon has been nominated by a coalition of minor left-wing parties — including the Justice Party, Labor Party and Green Party Korea, along with labor and civic groups — newly reorganized as the Korean Democratic Labor Party.

He is campaigning with the most progressive agenda of all candidates, pledging to raise inheritance and gift taxes by 90 percent, introduce a carbon tax and pass a comprehensive antidiscrimination law.

While Lee Jae-myung has been ambiguous on key progressive issues, including a televised remark suggesting that pushing for an antidiscrimination law could intensify conflict and hinder efforts to address more urgent matters, Kwon’s clearer progressive stance has gained support from parts of the left.

Even so, Kwon’s chances of winning remain slim.

Recent polls from various agencies show Lee Jae-myung hovering around 50 percent support, while Kim Moon-soo polls in the mid- to high 30s and Lee Jun-seok draws around 10 percent.

Kwon is barely polling at 1 percent. Although the odds may be long, his debate performance brought him into the spotlight.

“As he campaigns at places like train stations, people used to glance at him, trying to figure out who he was,” Kang Nam-kyu, deputy publicity chief of the Korean Democratic Labor Party, told The Korea Times.

Kang noted that now, it's the public who approach Kwon first, asking to take selfies. “He’s really starting to feel that shift,” he said.

“We have a televised debate on social policy scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday, and issues like universal healthcare and free school meals have always been our core agenda,” Kang said. “Our goal is to clearly present policies that distinguish us from other parties.”