Kim Min-seok, leader of the Democratic Party, clarified on September 10 that a notebook containing a list of potential candidates for the Seoul mayoral election was simply a collection of ideas. He stated, "I just wrote down what various people have told me."
During an appearance on the Democratic Party's official YouTube channel, Min-seok emphasized, "I have not discussed this with the individuals mentioned, nor have I sought their opinions. I apologize for being photographed with it."
He noted, "I believe there is a 99.99% chance of a Seoul mayoral election and a by-election for the Gangneung parliamentary seat. I have responsibilities for both the general election and the by-elections in Seoul and Gangneung, so it is natural for me to prepare."
Regarding the names and initials in his notebook, he identified 'Hoon-sik' as Kang Hoon-sik, chief of the presidential office, 'Won-sik' as former National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik, and 'Cheong-rae' as former Democratic Party leader Jeong Cheong-rae. The other candidates, which were difficult to identify, included former Trade Negotiation Chief Kim Hyun-jong, Seoul National University professor Kim Kyung-min, and former lawmaker Kim Jin-ae.
Min-seok also mentioned that individuals like Jeong Won-o (former mayor of Seongdong-gu), Park Joo-min (Democratic Party lawmaker), Jeon Hyun-hee (Democratic Party lawmaker), Seo Young-kyo (Chair of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee), and Park Hong-geun (Minister of Planning and Budget) were part of the basic candidate pool from the last primary. He added, "I wrote this down while analyzing what kind of candidate would appeal to Seoul and be a winning card."
Additionally, he commented on the 'OUT' notation next to the names of Lee Jin-sook and Han Dong-hoon, stating, "I believe these two should not be in the National Assembly. There are controversies surrounding the May 18 incident, and I am pursuing the expulsion or at least suspension of Lee Jin-sook, who denies the legacy of former President Kim Young-sam."
As for Han Dong-hoon, an independent lawmaker, Min-seok remarked, "He positioned himself as an attacker during the confirmation hearing for Kim Seung-won, the nominee for Minister of Justice, but it became a Han Dong-hoon incident. It has been confirmed that the materials he presented were internal documents, and the leak itself poses legal issues."
He concluded, "There is a situation that goes beyond reasonable suspicion of legal violations, and the Han Dong-hoon incident must be resolved."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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