Father of EXO member joins main opposition party

Professor Kim Yong-ha, father of EXO's Suho, wears a jumper of the conservative opposition Liberty Korea Party at a joining ceremony at the National Assembly on Thursday. Yonhap

By Dong Sun-hwa

EXO's leader Suho, whose real name is Kim Jun-myeon. Courtesy of SM Entertainment

The father of Suho, the leader of K-pop boy band EXO, joined the main opposition Liberty Korea Party Thursday.

Kim Yong-ha, 58, a professor in the IT Finance Management Department at Soonchunhyang University in Seoul, is a pension expert. He is also the former head of the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, which aims to establish policies on healthcare and social welfare.

“I will give my all as a welfare expert,” Kim was quoted as saying during the Liberty Korea Party's welcoming ceremony at the National Assembly on Thursday.

Seven others, including Yoon Chang-hyun, a business administration professor at the University of Seoul, joined the party.

In 2013, Kim provoked controversy for saying: “If you receive a basic pension at 65, this means you have lived your life in a wrong way. Most enthusiastic people can secure some income solely with the national pension.”