How ex-Leninist became shield for Park

By Choi Ha-young

Kim Moon-soo

Former Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Moon-soo is a rising star at the pro-President Park Geun-hye anti-impeachment street rallies. “I couldn’t help but shed tears seeing the patriotic movement,” he said recently after participating in a rally on Feb. 11.

He further broadcasts the rallies on Facebook and encourages people to participate in the far-right protest in favor of the impeached President.

Recently Kim held a press conference to defend Park at the center of the swirling corruption scandal. “As far as I know, Park is the cleanest politician,” he told journalists.

Regarding the government-made blacklist of artists, he said, “I also made lists as a governor. That’s basic of administration.” He also lashed out at the “atrocious” candlelit protesters and voices against the “biased” independent counsel-led investigation team and the media.

Interestingly, he actively pushed for the impeachment motion in November. However, he didn’t break away from the ruling party. The rumor has been rampant that he dreams of being a presidential candidate or being the next leader of the Liberty Korea Party which has no strong contenders currently.

“By chasing power, he totally collapsed as a politician,” a lawmaker at the minor conservative Bareun Party said on condition of anonymity.

Lenin of Korea

It is more interesting that he was once called the “Lenin of Korea” for his legendary walk of life as a revolutionist. Kim devoted himself to the labor movement in the 1970s to 80s, along with Justice Party Chairwoman Sim Sang-jung and health minister-turned-writer Rhyu Si-min of Seoul National University.

“Kim was my favorite junior colleague, with a warm heart and clear view,” said an opposition lawmaker, Kim’s university senior who attracted Kim to labor activity, on condition of anonymity.

With his outstanding leadership, Kim established a labor union in a factory and became its leader as a student worker. It is widely known that Kim endured severe torture for not revealing Sim’s whereabouts.

Unlike Sim and Rhyu who are still speaking and writing in the boundary of progressive and liberal blocs, Kim chose a different path. After the Soviet Union’s collapse, he accepted an invitation from the then-mega ruling party, the Democratic Liberal Party (DLP), in 1994.

“The era of revolution has gone,” he said after joining the DLP, formed by an alliance among military dictator Chun Doo-hwan’s right-hand man Roh Tae-woo, President Park Chung-hee’s former associate Kim Jong-pil and former democratic activist Kim Young-sam.

“Around the late 1980s to early 90s, the socialist regimes’ collapse was a palpable shock. Some activists, who dreamed of revolution through the labor movement, lost their perspective, while others who focused on practical labor issues, like Sim, kept fighting,” said a historian majoring in modern history on the condition of anonymity.

Branded as turncoat

For a while, Kim was a “fighter” for social minorities in the National Assembly. Representing the reformist faction in the conservative party, he called for a budget to take care of poorly fed children.

As the two-term Gyeonggi governor from 2006 to 2014, Kim was famous for open communication with citizens. Driving a taxi, he listened to citizens’ complaints in person.

“For a year, I drove 2,287 kilometers for 166 hours. The importance of field experience is what I learned during my years in the labor movement,” he said in his 2010 autobiography.

However, his historical view turned conservative as time went by. In the same book, he said the nation should erect statues of two past dictators ― Rhee Syngman and Park Chung-hee ― in central Seoul. Also, he was a key attacker against the liberal President Roh Moo-hyun.

Political pundit Choi Young-il said Kim’s back-and-forth moves are the results of his shaky ground in politics, due to his hard-line background. “He has faced doubts from the members of his party over his ideology, and criticism from people outside of his party for being a turncoat,” Choi said.

“Praising former presidents Rhee and Park was part of his efforts to dissolve his background and become a political heavyweight.”

Kim’s other bewildering move over impeachment is in line with his continuous failure to set up his identity as a politician, Choi said. “He should have joined the Bareun Party according to his initial stance against Park or stayed silent in the party on impeachment.”