Outspoken critic of first lady within ruling party decides not to run for election

Kim Kyung-yul, a member of the ruling People Power Party's leadership committee, rests his chin in his hand during a meeting at the party's headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, Jan. 29. Yonhap

Kim Kyung-yul, the man believed to have caused recent political tensions between the ruling party and President Yoon Suk Yeol, said, Sunday, that he won’t seek a seat in the National Assembly for the upcoming elections.

Kim, a member of the People Power Party’s (PPP) leadership committee, said in a statement that he decided not to run, amid speculation that tensions between Han Dong-hoon, interim chief of the party, and Yoon led to that decision.

“I won’t run for the 22rd general elections,” Kim said in a message posted on social media. “This is the decision I made for the victory of our party after contemplation.”

This was a surprising turn for Kim, who was apparently seeking the PPP’s nomination for a constituency in western Seoul's Mapo District. Introducing him as a passionate activist who spent his whole life “for fairness and justice,” Han said on Jan. 17 that he would be able to present a formidable challenge to Rep. Jung Chung-rae of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea, one of the lawmakers representing the district.

But the former member of People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, a left-wing civic group, was soon thrust into controversy within the party after comparing Kim Keon Hee to Marie Antoinette, the last French queen who was executed in 1793 during the French Revolution. He made the comparison when answering questions regarding a Dior bag the first lady apparently received from a pastor in September 2022.

His remarks created tensions between Han, who had invited the former activist to the leadership, and Yoon’s close aides who reportedly demanded that Han step down. But Han refused to resign, saying he would continue to do what was necessary for the PPP to win more seats in the April 10 elections.