Kim Boo-kyum, leading candidate for Chairman of the Presidential Committee of National Cohesion... Supporting Lee Jae Myung's expansion of influence

[Financial News] Former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum is being considered as a strong candidate for the new chairman of the Presidential Committee of National Cohesion.
According to political circles on the 15th, the Blue House is seriously considering appointing former Prime Minister Kim as chairman of the Presidential Committee of National Cohesion this month. This appointment is interpreted as an attempt to re-emphasize President Lee Jae Myung's governing stance of expanding the party's base by embracing centrist and conservative voters.
Former Prime Minister Kim is regarded within the Democratic Party of Korea as a representative inclusive politician capable of breaking down regionalism. He is the first politician affiliated with the Democratic Party of Korea to be elected in the Daegu Suseong A constituency, a difficult constituency for democratic and progressive parties, since the introduction of the single-member district system in 1988. In the local elections last June, the Democratic Party of Korea also nominated former Prime Minister Kim as its candidate for Mayor of Daegu to expand its reach in the Daegu–Gyeongbuk region, but he was defeated by People Power Party candidate Choo Kyung-ho.
In particular, if former Prime Minister Kim takes on the role of chairman of the Presidential Committee of National Cohesion, it is expected to lend weight to President Lee Jae Myung’s recent emphasis on national unity and expanding his political base. This move is interpreted as an attempt to leverage the symbolic significance of former Prime Minister Kim, who has made overcoming regionalism a key political agenda, to encompass not only the centrist electorate but also the conservative-leaning Daegu–Gyeongbuk region.
President Lee Jae Myung is scheduled to hold a press conference for the nation on the 18th to announce his position on major pending issues, including a constitutional amendment for a consecutive term. As he is engaging in direct communication with the public amidst a recent decline in approval ratings, the selection of former Prime Minister Kim as chairman of the Presidential Committee of National Cohesion is also expected to take shape after the press conference.

[email protected] Song Ji-won Reporter