[He, person] Kim Jong-cheol, a liberalist who breaks the taboo of progress

1. Fell seven times in the election.

It has never been close to the right to elect.

The political teacher took his own life, and not one or two comrades left without seeing a good day.

Until just a few years ago, he couldn't bring a ten-won home.

At most, I lived for tens of years, receiving several hundred thousand won as an activity fee.

Even then, I didn't lose my laughter.

He said he would give up politics, but not humor.

Others are holding onto the beliefs and values ​​that they had already abandoned 30 years ago.

There are so many poor people that I can't give up that belief.

It sounds like booing, not encouragement, that you can live well with you without worrying about others, and even when you hear that, you laugh.

He was a man with many tears, but he couldn't cry to his heart's content because he might be hurt by others.

We shed tears at the malls of comrades who went first, such as Roh Hoe-chan, Park Eun-ji, and Oh Jae-young.

The hardship of living up to the values ​​of the left in the country of the right wing was washed away with a cry.

Even if you love your husband, your wife, who loves you too much, knows that you can't give up your workout. No. Well, even when I said I'd give up on you, he turned and stole tears alone.

Having been in politics for more than 20 years, he did not snoop on proportional representatives.

His determination was that he would die in the district even if he died.

At the beginning of this year, he gave up the district and ran for proportional representative.

Running for proportional representation was an expression of anxiety and anxiety.

"If I could live to be 120, I would have been in the district. But I can't. I thought I didn't have much time left, and then I thought I had to put on a legislator badge somehow this time. I thought I shouldn't miss this time."

It was ranked 20th out of 37 candidates in the Justice Party proportional representative contest.

After twists and turns, the final turn was decided to be No. 16, but it was far from being elected.

The order in front of the proportional representative was the responsibility of the recruiters.

Park Yong-jin asked if the Justice Party's treatment for Kim Jong-cheol would be the only one, and asked to beat him right away.

Since the expectations were high, the disappointment must have been great, and the wounds must have been deep, but he did not express himself at home.

"At that time, I was expecting a lot, but I don't know how disappointed I was because I'm sure I'm familiar with the atmosphere in the party. I'm not a personality that reveals that to me either."

/ Jeong Hye-jeong, Kim Jong-cheol's wife, as the

chief spokesman of the Justice Party's ancestral committee, tried to win the 21st general election, but the result was disappointing.

The expectation was that it would be possible to have at least 15 seats, hopefully more than 20 seats, if 6 seats in all, including one seat in the district, and the semi-linked proportional representation system was adopted.

Running for the party was the number of political victories of Kim Jong-cheol, who was driven to the edge of the cliff.

Not many people expected that he, who was 20th in the proportional representative contest, would be elected as the party representative.

In the political party structure of the Justice Party, he was a minority and could not ignore the limitation of being outside the country.

How many times has he experienced winning in his life?

He was defeated at every turn of his life.

He had a high grade in college entrance exams, fell in the college student council president's election, and the public office election was a series of high grades.

I think this is the only election that won the election.

"When I won first place in the 1st qualifying round, I wondered if it would be in the finals. After hearing the news of the winning, I wondered if this was a dream."

/ Jung Hye-jung-Kim Jong-cheol's wife

He was stingy to express the joy of having virtually won his first victory in his political life for over 20 years.

The whole thing was that I was happy with the thought that my wife would be happy about 30 seconds after the election was confirmed.

It is better to borrow Jeong Hye-jung's mouth for the sincere feelings of victory.

"All of my husband is pretty right now. Thank you so much for letting me taste victory once."

2. Wouldn't this person's life be different if he passed the astronomy department as he first asked for without going through luck?

Probably not.

He likes to see the stars in the night sky and is still interested in astrophysics, but it was a fixed procedure for him to become a sports student.

The two older brothers were activists, and he was a student who was already'conscious' in high school under the influence of his older brothers.

His father, who was a railroad official, had changed from a man who read arguments to a man who read Marx while going through the work of the eldest and younger sons, so it was natural that he entered the Department of Economics at Seoul National University in 1990.

The student movement in the early 1990s was no less than that of the 80s in terms of intensity and popularity.

The politically conservative three-party worthy party played a role in igniting the student movement, and the case of the Ganggyeong-dae army, which killed a student by the police in broad daylight in a democratic world, lit a young heart.

In the spring of 1991, more than ten students and workers resisted the conservative regime in an extreme way of self-confidence or self-confidence.

At this time, the size of the protesters was tens of thousands, and Kim Jong-cheol was in the middle of the protesters.

Following the economics student council chairman, he served as the student council president at the College of Social Sciences, and elected to the Seoul National University student council president, but failed.

The student movement in the early 1990s, which he actively participated and led, was a grim defeat as a result.

He expressed it as'great frustration'.

I went to the streets, threw Molotov cocktails, shouting slogans, and even when I heard the word'good for death', I resisted with my whole body, but the world was moving differently than they thought.

The Democratic Party succeeded in re-establishing power, and Eastern socialism took a white flag.

Those who have more have become poorer.

They attacked with all their might, but the attack did not work and it was the student movement that fell out.

What went wrong.

Why were we defeated?

Why is socialism such a fall?

It was the point of asking seriously, fiercely reflecting, and boldly seeking change.

“Beyond the right thing I am doing, why did I start this?” The 386 generations left the movement as the challenges of the times of democratization, the investigation and punishment of the Gwangju massacre, and the acquisition of a straight line system were resolved. Some people were frustrated that the theory wasn't correct, but I didn't exercise because of the theory. A poor couple left the child in the room and locked the door to work. The reality of being seized by the IMF did not change. As the IMF crisis broke out, workers first lost their jobs and self-employed people died.

”

Many people gave up the exercise or tried to find another way, but Kim Jong-cheol did not turn around.

Rather, I took another step into the exercise and decided to make it a lifelong karma.

In 1999, Kwon Young-gil took its first step to the progressive party by serving as the attendant secretary for the National Victory 21 candidate.

3. The inauguration of the party representative became a hot topic.

On the agenda of the Justice Party, the two parties warned to be nervous.

In the fight between the two parties, the Justice Party said it would escape from the reality of being a referee.

It is not a political party that writes only comments, but a party that writes the text.

We know that to win with policy, it takes courage, not just philosophy and logic.

His declaration of breaking the taboo of progress speaks of it.

His proposal to discuss issues of general taxation, pension reform, as well as labor flexibility issues, including those of ordinary people, was a fresh shock to the politics.

It was because the president of the Justice Party made the proposal, not someone else.

Although opposition from the KTU and the national union of public officials, a key supporter of the Justice Party, is expected, he was not afraid to enter the forbidden sphere.

If the common people pay less, they can claim more tax from the wealthy, so that those who don't have more welfare benefits and the current pension system cannot continue as it is.

His argument is both a suggestion that the progressives share a greater responsibility for the future of the community, and also points out the irresponsible attitude of the ruling powers.

On the 27th of last month, I met Kim Jong-cheol at the representative office of the Justice Party in the main building of the National Assembly.

It was the day he hung up on the same day as a support for Eastar Jet's union.

The day before, the late Rep. Roh Hoe-chan stayed at Nomo Shopping Center until late and skipped morning and then lunch, but it was difficult to find a sign of exhaustion.

On that day, he was digesting nearly 10 schedules, including 4 media interviews.

Prior to the interview, he recorded a video message sent to Eastar Jet's union members.

I asked him a question about Eastar Jet, who finished recording without a manuscript and without a single NG.

-In relation to the company's mass unemployment, aren't the labor and management's positions different about the cause and solution of the problem, and the positions of the employees different according to the job type?

"As with all matters, the Eastar Jet issue does not mean that either party, including the union, is absolutely correct, but the Justice Party thinks that the most weak people should stand in the position to solve the problem."

He said that the history of the world is not clearly divided into justice and injustice, and good and evil, and that labor and management issues are the same.

Naturally, he said it sounded fresh.

He said that there is nothing absolute in the world except for human rights issues.

In August, a controversy arose when the Eunpyeong-gu Office revealed the real name of conservative YouTuber Joo Ok-soon regarding the movement of corona patients.

Kim Jong-cheol, a spokesman for the Justice Party at the time, commented that the disclosure of his real name was a clear violation of human rights against Joo Ok-soon.

It was said that the Justice Party even commented that the human rights of one of the far-rights was so great, but Kim Jong-cheol said that there can be no left-right, no distinction between liberal and conservative, as far as the human rights issue.

When I asked if I was investing in stocks, I didn't.

-Do you think progressive politicians shouldn't do things like stocks?

"It's not like that, but I think it's good to have as little unearned income as possible. It's the same for real estate. (I'm from economics) All my friends around me do that, but I think it's better not to touch that."

He said that not all means are justified just because the purpose is good and noble.

-Isn't politics sometimes pursuing purpose in less evil ways?

Isn't politics an ethic?

He answered all the answers with a gap of about half a second, but in this section he replied without a break.

4. One's life is more clearly seen through the contrast with the other.

Kim Jong-cheol visited the grave of the late Rep. Roh Hoe-chan as a representative of the Justice Party.

On the 26th of last month, when the old mother of Rep. Roh Hoe-chan died, she kept the mall for two consecutive days.

Roh Hoe-chan and Kim Jong-cheol met for the first time in 2004 as the head of the Democratic Labor Party's election countermeasure headquarters and the Seondae Committee spokesman.

The 2004 general election is an unforgettable memory of victory for the progressive party.

It produced 10 lawmakers with a double-digit vote.

Since then, the two have met several times.

I met Seoul Dongjak as a competitor in the election, but soon reconciled and my faith grew stronger.

When the late Congressman Roh Hoe-chan, who was the president of the Justice Party, made a tragic choice in 2018, Kim Jong-cheol was his secretary chief.

His reverence for failing to stop the tragedy of his admired senior and comrade, and his anger at the forces that drove him to death remained in him.

"(Regarding President Roh's death) Normally it's fine, but at some point it doesn't go away if hot anger rises from the inside of my heart."-2019 Hankyoreh 21 Interview

When the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee passed away, there is only one word that the Justice Party commemorates the deceased.

The rest were filled with words such as'political relations','super-legal management','dark history' and'chaebol reform'.

Although it may be ritual, it may even refer to one or two of the achievements of the deceased who contributed to the Korean economy, but there is no such word or content.

-The comments of the late Chairman Lee Kun-hee, the spokesman for the death line, were discussed with President Kim in advance, right?

"I said to keep my condolences short and to point out things accurately and calmly. It is not without the achievements of Chairman Lee Kun-hee. It is true that the value of the semiconductor industry is recognized early and it is true that the industry feeds the people.

But I think the powerful people have died. When it comes to evaluating their lives with a public focus, I can't say there's no personal feelings at all. Rep. Roh Hoe-chan lost his position as a council because of a Samsung-related disclosure case and suffered a lot of trouble after that. "Since the gang approached it, and because of that, the tragic death was met, Samsung is not at all irrelevant to the death of President Roh. I can't forget that."

Roh Hoe-chan, who he remembers, is a person who rarely knows inside, a person who quietly listens to other people, a person who is responsible for the decision when he makes a decision, the person who laughs the most when sharing food with acquaintances, and above all embarrassment. It was someone I knew.

"Before I went back, there was a case when a broadcaster reporter asked a somewhat rude question about the drooking scandal, and the CEO was angry about what he was doing. It seems that it was annoying to me. I heard that later, I called the reporter. He said he apologized."

It sounded like he wanted to resemble that of Roh Hoe-chan.

He, who was the closest aide to Roh Hoe-chan, a self-confident man, does not hide his willingness to overcome'Roh Hoe-chan's progress' while continuing the maintenance of the deceased.

Doesn't that mean that he will break the taboo of the progressive camp?

5. I left a text message in the afternoon, and Park Yong-jin called at 10 o'clock at night.

His drunken voice was full of power and relaxed.

I wondered if this was the voice of a person who is at the peak of life.

The people who visited the funeral home of the late Chairman Lee Kun-hee could be said to be the people who move the Republic of Korea, but among them was Park Yong-jin.

It was news that he, a representative Samsung sniper, visited Lee Kun-hee's funeral, and the attitude of the eldest vice chairman Lee Jae-yong, who met him, caught people's attention.

The status of politician Park Yong-jin was reaffirmed there.

If you have to pick only one comrade in Kim Jong-cheol's life, that person is Park Yong-jin.

The two had a relationship since the early 1990s when they created a student movement called'Daejangjeong'.

He was the leading role of the founding party of the Democratic Labor Party, an aide to the presidential candidate Kwon Young-gil, and a spokesman for the Democratic Labor Party.

It was called the next-generation two-headed wagon of the progressive camp, and was also a rival who competed for the position of the Mayor of Seoul within the progressive camp.

The friendship between the two remains unchanged even after Park Yong-jin left the Progressive New Party in 2010 and changed words to the current ruling party, saying that it is more important to realize progressive values ​​in reality than people with progressive thoughts gathered together. .

Whenever we trust deeply and make important decisions, we ask each other for advice and sometimes meet together as a couple.

I asked him what kind of person Kim Jong-cheol was.

"A person who is smart and without wrinkles above all else. A person who is respected by others by respecting others."

Park Yong-jin was sincerely proud that his friend became the representative of the three parties in the park.

"The fact that the representative of the 50th progressive party stands between the president of the ruling party looking at the 70s and the opposition chairperson in the 80s gives a strange tension. The times just because Kim Jong-cheol is standing between two people who have experience but cannot show vitality and passion. It symbolizes the transformation of

When I asked if there were any shortcomings, Park Yong-jin answered without hesitation.

"The mainstream mind of the movement is his shortcoming. He may be the mainstream in the movement, but in the world as a whole, his mind is a minority. His inability to make a decision at a crucial moment is also a weakness. This time, if Sang-jung Shim said that he would be the representative one more time, Kim Jong-cheol would appear in the race If I was the one who made the board by challenging and breaking without fear, Jong-cheol is the one who moves when the board is made."

Kim Jong-cheol once thought that Park Yong-jin was a rival, but now he said not.

I didn't ask, but even if I asked, it is unlikely that Kim Jong-cheol would have spoken of Park Yong-jin's shortcomings.

He said that he is a friend and comrade who makes up his or her own domain, but if the situation arises when the two compete again, it will certainly be regarded as the development of Korean politics.

6. The appearance on the screen and the actual appearance were quite different.

Rep. Jeong Jeong-dang Ryu Ho-jeong, who saw in the waiting room of the SBS performer, was like an idol star.

For those who have known Dan Byeong-ho, Roh Hoe-chan, and Shim Sang-jung as the faces of the Progressive Party, the fact that a young man with such a face is a sign of the Justice Party may be a bit confusing.

As the party leader, Kim Jong-cheol's goal is to raise the party approval rating to double digits.

In order to achieve this goal, we have no choice but to rely on the activities of the party members.

Ryu Ho-jung, who has emerged as a star of appreciation for the government, is a grateful comrade to Kim Jong-cheol in that regard.

I sent a text message to Ryu Ho-jeong asking what kind of person Kim Jong-cheol is, and a call came.

"It can be said that he is a senior who is within reach. Even people like Mr. Sang-Jung Shim tell them to call us at any time, but it's a little difficult for us to do that. But CEO Jong-cheol Kim can easily ask if he has any questions and what kind of book he has. He is the kind of senior who can ask if it would be good to read."

The age difference between the two is 22 years old, and from the standpoint of Ryu Ho-jeong, it might be difficult to deal with, but he said that he could not feel that.

"Please listen to us as if the main article on the CEO's SNS says,'The last right to speak is always to the other person'. He is not a gang of juniors sitting down and pouring out his own stories endlessly."

-Representative Kim seems to think that his wit and humor is captivating his juniors...

"It's fun to try to be fun. You always use humor while thinking about it, but it's fun to watch the process. I

do

n't know if the result is interesting..."

replied, Hojeong Ryu laughed for a long time.

A 28-year-old youth party member who reads the Justice Party program from time to time made a request to the 50-year-old party leader.

“I want to inform the people of liberal politics in everyday and easy language. Still, many people think that Justice Party is an activist party, and a party that can only be read in'Jeon Tae-il Peace'. It is a party of the socially weak, so it is easy for them to understand. I hope you can tell us in words."

It was pointed out that the political party of workers, peasants, and poor people turned into a party of youth, women, and liberals while looking at the faces of the personnel recruited by the Justice Party in the 21st general election and the nomination of proportional representatives.

People even left the party showing disappointment.

If you look at the comments on social media, I think the cold gaze toward Justice Party is this much, but Kim Jong-cheol's shoulder is not irrelevant to this situation.

If there is a gap between the generation, class, and worldview symbolized by Roh Hoe-chan and Ryu Ho-jeong, it would be the job of Kim Jong-cheol to fill the gap, but it does not seem easy.

7. My husband couldn't bring one ten won to the house, so the household was the sole responsibility of his wife.

His wife, Jeong Hye-jung, ran a house while working as an insurance company employee, a clothing store, and a cold noodles restaurant.

The two met at'Our Technology', where Kim Jong-cheol worked as a military service exception.

His wife is two years older.

The younger men somehow met their eyes and promised to live under a blanket and got married in May 1998.

The craftsman is a veteran of the Vietnam War.

I don't think the son-in-law, who was listening to the red noise, was welcomed from the beginning.

He had a son, and Jung Hye-jung wanted a second child, but the second was feeling unhappy with their circumstances.

Jung Hye-jung couldn't speak for a while at the point that she couldn't have a second because it was difficult to live.

Whenever he had to pay off his loan every month, Jung Hye-jung said that he felt devastated.

I wanted to die several times, and I wanted to beat it up, and I seriously told Kim Jong-cheol to break up.

Kim Jong-cheol tried to appease his wife by listening to the story silently, but just imagining Kim Jong-cheol's face at that time makes him feel sad.

The jeonse will be due next year, but Jung Hye-jung is already worried about how to pay for the soaring jeonse.

The progressive party leader couple shared the sadness of the homeless.

Still, the wife is optimistic because she resembles her husband.

"Why didn't I have the idea that I wish I had an apartment, I wish I had a good child, and I wish I had some property to pass on. But now I have given up that thought, and I hope that I can live without bothering others."

During the 2012 general election campaign, I looked for a video of Jeong Hye-jeong ascending to the park with Kim Jong-cheol.

Kim Jong-cheol has a passionate campaign, but few people respond to his eloquence.

Jung Hye-jung is just looking at the figure, and the hardship of a person who has to do hopeless work is buried in her face.

“I never expected to be in a regional district, and I think I thought that I could be a member of the National Assembly only once earlier this year. Since my husband devoted himself from the early days of the progressive party and worked harder for the party than anyone else, I wonder if he could become a proportional representative. It's true what I expected, but now I tell my husband, is it okay if I don't wear a gold badge…I wonder if I have lived well until now."

In 2004, at the age of 36, he entered the Seoul Mayor's election as a candidate for the Democratic Labor Party.

People who competed with him at that time were such as Se-hoon Oh, Geum-sil Kang, and Ju-sun Park.

Although it was defeated, it was good.

In particular, he emerged as a next-generation prospect in the progressive camp, showing an impressive appearance in the TV debate.

Kim Jong-cheol described these days as his Leeds days.

When the Democratic Labor Party gained ten seats in the 2004 election and was in the limelight as a candidate for the 30th mayor of Seoul, the notice didn't seem too far.

The Democratic Labor Party's goal of the 1st opposition party in 2008 and the ruling party in 2012 was not realistic, but it wasn't a dreamlike story either.

Kim Jong-cheol would have expected that with this momentum, he would be able to win a regional district if he challenged one or two more times.

The division of the progressive camp has destroyed this hope.

Elections are an opportunity and hope for politicians, but for progressive politicians like Kim Jong-cheol, it was also a cruel process that awakened them to the reality they are facing.

"It's not that hard on the day of counting the votes. I already know the results. What's really hard is deciding to run. Even though I know it's not going to work, I need to announce our party in the district and get one more vote to get a proportional representative seat. I'm going out because I can, but it's hard to run for a run knowing I can't.”

Korean society was stingy to give up a place in progressive politics.

He said he had done his job by putting one or two stars into the stadium.

Kim Jong-cheol's defense that the progressives have never had the opportunity to properly form a team is correct.

In the phase of the revision of the election law last year, it was an act that lifted the ladder of the progressive camp to create a proportional satellite party with the ruling party, not to mention the opposition party.

The suffering of Kim Jong-cheol, a progressive politician, was inevitable in this situation.

He had to endure several times in a situation where he had to fight hopelessly.

Such trials did not strengthen people.

Rather, it was a gnawing job.

People tended to be pointy and crooked, but he did not lose his spare time and gave up his humor.

Despite repeated defeats, he did not leave the progressive politics camp.

In 2010, when Park Yong-jin left the progressive party, he persuaded Kim Jong-cheol to join him, but Kim Jong-cheol shook his head.

Park Yong-jin said that when you open the right door, there is an answer, but Kim Jong-cheol does not break his stubbornness toward the left.

His insistence on finding the answer on the left is tenacious.

As this society runs toward the right, he believes that a person like him must stand firmly on the left and hold the center.

Someone believes that they have to do it, and now they have to do it themselves.

8. When asked what progress is, he once replied that progress is changing.

By that standard, this person is not progress.

He has not changed.

My thoughts haven't changed and my actions haven't changed.

Even the faces are not so different 20 years ago, 10 years ago, or now.

It didn't change that much to make people laugh because I persistently used the humor that wasn't funny, saying don't resist my humor.

I asked if your progress was inertial progress.

Now, it was ambiguous to change directions, so the question was whether I live the way I lived, the way I thought, the way I was acting.

He repeated the word inertial progress as if slowly savoring it.

And said this.

"It might look like that, but... it doesn't seem like that. I didn't come here without any change in the middle. I thought about it a lot."

The answer was short, but it took a while for it to come out.

Some 54,000 members of the party and six members of the National Assembly became representatives of the three parties in the park, and several things have changed.

Vehicles are dispatched and there are staff to assist with driving.

Access to the National Assembly is also easier.

There are more places to call and there are many places to go.

The monthly business promotion fee is 1 million won.

When he took office as the representative, he reduced the cost of promoting the party representative's work to a third.

This was taken in consideration of the party's difficult finances.

Although there is an additional 1.5 million won for the activity fee, which is a salary, it is unlikely that it will change much that the money he brings home is represented.

Jung Hye-jung said he wasn't sure because he hadn't received the money yet.

He said he didn't expect much.

This man is an'old progressive'.

This is true in that it is still holding on to the old ideology, and in that it is keeping his beliefs for a long time.

At times, he is a person who listens to the other person's words by exuding the elegance of a big tree.

That's why his words about breaking the taboo of progress don't sound lightly.

He has now been given the opportunity to demonstrate his 30 years of progressive life, but nothing seems easy.

His simple view of life that the value of progress will not disappear as long as there is a difficult and difficult person seems to be the only hill he will lean on.