Kim Chong-in

Kim Chong-in (Korean: 김종인; Hanja: 金鍾仁,[1] born 7 July 1940) is a South Korean economist and politician. He was the interim chairman of the Minjoo Party of Korea from January to August 2016 and a member-elect of the National Assembly on the party's proportional list since the April 2016 parliamentary election. He was previously a member of the Assembly from 1981 to 1988, 1992 to 1994, and 2004 to 2008, each time elected by party list. He served as Minister of Health and Social Affairs under President Roh Tae-woo from 1989 to 1990. Since May 2020, he has been the leader of the main opposition People Power Party.

For the member of EXO of the same name, see Kai (entertainer, born 1994).
In this Korean name, the family name is Kim.

Kim Chong-in
김종인
Leader of the People Power Party
Interim
Assumed office
22 May 2020
Preceded byJoo Ho-young (acting)
Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea
Interim
In office
27 January 2016 – 27 August 2016
Preceded byMoon Jae-in
Succeeded byChoo Mi-ae
Member of the National Assembly
In office
30 May 2016 – 8 March 2017
ConstituencyProportional representation
In office
30 May 2004 – 29 May 2008
In office
30 May 1992 – 10 September 1994
In office
11 April 1981 – 29 May 1988
ConstituencyProportional representation
Minister of Health and Social Affairs
In office
19 July 1989 – 13 March 1990
PresidentRoh Tae-woo
Preceded byMoon Tae-joon
Succeeded byKim Jung-soo
Personal details
Born (1940-07-07) 7 July 1940
Shikō, Japanese Chōsen
(Now Siheung, South Korea)
Political partyPeople Power Party
Other political
affiliations		Democratic Justice Party
Democratic Liberal Party
Millennium Democratic Party
Saenuri (2011–2012)
Democratic Party of Korea (2016–2017)
People's Party
Alma materHankuk University of Foreign Studies
University of Münster
OccupationPolitician, economist
Kim Chong-in
Hangul
김종인
Hanja
金鍾仁
Revised RomanizationGim Jongin
McCune–ReischauerKim Chongin

Early life

Before entering politics, Kim studied German language at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies as an undergraduate, and obtained a doctorate in economics at the University of Münster in Germany in 1972. His dissertation at Münster was titled "Possibilities and Limits of Social Policy in the Present Social–Economic Situation in the Republic of Korea".[2] He was professor at Sogang University,[3] and board chairman of KB Kookmin Bank, the largest private bank of Korea.

Political career

Conservative parties until 2015

Kim spent his early political career in the Democratic Justice Party of Presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, and followed the party when it merged with two other conservative parties to form the Democratic Liberal Party in 1990.

He remained in the party's successors, becoming an assemblyman for the Grand National Party in 2004 and subsequently a campaign and economic advisor to President Park Geun-hye.[3] He served as chairman of the Saenuri Party's Special Committee to Promote People's Happiness during Park's campaign, promoting economic democratization and the party's business-friendly image.[4][5]

He was later marginalized by Park,[6] and separated from the president and her economic cabinet, for reasons which are in dispute. In January 2015, he criticized Park for "not being able to recognize a problem", and commented on his own plans that he had "lost trust in people": "I do not have much desire to talk".[5]

Democratic Party (2016-2017)

After stepping down as Park's advisor, Kim subsequently joined the liberal opposition Democratic Party as chairman of the Emergency Planning Commission. This followed the resignation of Moon Jae-in as party leader in January 2016.

As party leader, Kim's role was to prepare for the upcoming legislative election[7] and aimed to unify the party by diminishing the influence of entrenched factions.[8] He targeted leading members of the pro–Roh Moo-hyun faction of the party, including Lee Hae-chan, whom he deselected from the party nomination process.[9] Kim faced calls to resign over the process, but decided to stay on as leader,[10] pledging to continue reforming the party.[11] Despite losing most of the seats in its traditional stronghold of Honam to the new People's Party,[12] the party gained a favorable result in the elections under his leadership, defeating the ruling Saenuri Party and winning a plurality of seats in the Assembly.[13]

Kim consolidated his control over the Democratic Party with the favorable 2016 election result.[14] A week after the election, he announced that the party would reorient from welfare advocacy to support for economic growth and corporate reform, and dropped the party's prior policy of opposition to for-profit hospitals.[15]

Kim left the Democratic Party following greater disagreement with Moon Jae-in in March 2017.[16][17] In leaving the party, he also gave up his proportional representative seat in the National Assembly.

2017 South Korean presidential election

Kim announced his independent candidacy in the 2017 South Korean presidential election to oppose Moon Jae-in in April 2017 after leaving the Democratic Party.[18] Kim dropped out a week later calling for a need of a coalition government.[19]

He then supported the minor centrist People's Party presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo in the presidential election, agreeing to lead Ahn's campaign panel that supports a "reformist" government.[20]

References
  1. "경제민주화 앞세워 박근혜와 대결". The Wolgan Chosun. April 2016. Archived from the original on 26 April 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  2. Kim, Chong-in (1972). Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der Sozialpolitik in der gegenwärtigen sozial-ökonomischen Lage der Republik Korea (Ph.D.). University of Münster.
  3. "Economists to spearhead parties' campaigns". The Korea Times. 20 March 2016. Archived from the original on 28 April 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  4. "Park's aides focus on growth, fair economy". The Korea Herald. 21 December 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  5. "Reformist's vision still remains elusive". Korea JoongAng Daily. 28 January 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  6. "韓国は成熟できるか". Newsweek Japan (in Japanese). 26 December 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  7. "Minjoo Party turns crisis into opportunity". Hanhodaily. 21 January 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  8. "Kim Jong-in Gets Rid of Pro-Roh Dominance and Replaces the Mainstream: Signs of Factional Conflict". The Kyunghyang Shinmun. 15 April 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  9. "Former P.M. quits Minjoo Party in nomination feud". The Korea Herald. 15 March 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  10. "Opposition chief quells dissenters". The Korea Herald. 23 March 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  11. "Minjoo's identity must be changed: Kim Chong-in". Korea JoongAng Daily. 24 March 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  12. "In liberal stronghold, voters give main opposition party a lashing". The Hankyoreh. 14 April 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  13. "Ruling Saenuri Party Wins One Less Seat than Minjoo Party of Korea". KBS World Radio. 17 April 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  14. "Kim Chong-in solidifies leadership with election victory". The Korea Times. 14 April 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  15. "Opposition party shifting to growth". The Korea Times. 21 April 2016. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  16. "Kim Chong-in vows to quit DPK". koreatimes. 7 March 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  17. "Kim Chong-in abandons Moon and DP". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  18. Herald, The Korea (5 April 2017). "Kim Chong-in joins minor moderates in presidential race". Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  19. "Kim Chong-in drops out of presidential race". koreatimes. 12 April 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  20. Herald, The Korea (30 April 2017). "Kim Chong-in accepts Ahn's call to lead panel for joint gov't". Retrieved 4 May 2017.
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