Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate, has been joined by alumni from Chung-Ang University in the Democratic Party's election campaign committee. Most of them had assisted the candidate in close proximity during the previous 20th presidential election. In particular, individuals who previously sparked controversies over virtual asset concealment and preferential appointments have also joined the campaign committee for this presidential election.
According to the comprehensive report from ChosunBiz on the 20th, the Democratic Party's campaign committee includes Chung-Ang University graduates such as Kim Young-jin and Moon Jin-seok, former lawmaker Kim Nam-kook, and Hwang Kyo-ik. The candidate is a 1982 graduate of the Chung-Ang University Law School.
Kim Young-jin and Moon Jin-seok, who are referred to as 'original supporters of Lee Jae-myung,' are also members of the candidate's close group known as the 'seven-member council.' Kim is a 1986 graduate of the Business Administration Department, and Moon is a 1982 graduate of the Department of Political Science and Diplomacy.
Kim Young-jin is known to be one of the most cherished juniors of the candidate at Chung-Ang University. Currently, he is serving as the head of the political affairs office and the director of the overall situation room for the campaign committee.
Kim is a former president of the Chung-Ang University Student Council and has ties to the National Representatives Council of Student Representatives (Jeondae-hyeop). As someone from a student activist background, he became a lawyer after struggling to find a job post-graduation, and it is said that the candidate assisted him in securing employment. He earned the candidate's trust by serving as a co-director of the campaign's situation room during the last 20th presidential election and as the head of the campaign's secretariat.
The three-term lawmaker is being mentioned as a potential next leader of the parliamentary party. It is reported that the candidate directly recommended Kim as someone who would serve as a speaker in the parliament after coming to power. A Democratic Party official noted, 'Since this will be the first leader elected after the presidential election, it is highly likely that the candidate's intentions will be reflected,' adding that the candidate seems to prefer Kim, who is classified as a moderate within the pro-Lee faction.
Moon Jin-seok holds the position of chief vice-chair of the organizational headquarters. Moon is reported to communicate frequently with the candidate and play a role in organizational management. Recently, he has also been known to engage in efforts to recruit external figures and individuals from the pan-conservative camp into the campaign committee. During the last presidential election, he supported the candidate while serving as a co-director of the campaign's situation room and as the deputy head of the campaign's secretariat.
◇ Controversy over the inclusion of Kim Nam-kook and Hwang Kyo-ik in the campaign committee
In this presidential election, columnist Hwang Kyo-ik, who serves as the chairperson of the Democratic Party’s K-brand Special Committee, and former lawmaker Kim Nam-kook, who has been appointed as the head of political affairs, have also attracted attention. Chairperson Hwang graduated from Chung-Ang University's Department of Newspaper and Broadcasting in 1981, while former lawmaker Kim graduated from the Department of Public Administration in 2001. The head of political affairs, former lawmaker Kim, is set to work alongside Kim Young-jin, the head of political affairs, who also hails from Chung-Ang University.
Chairperson Hwang faced allegations that he was appointed to the position of president of the Gyeonggi Tourism Corporation as 'preferential treatment' by the candidate during the last presidential election. There are suspicions that the candidate, while serving as the Gyeonggi provincial governor, altered the eligibility criteria to appoint Hwang as the president of the Gyeonggi Tourism Corporation. As criticism regarding 'code appointments' intensified, Chairperson Hwang resigned from his candidacy, bringing the controversy to an end.
Former lawmaker Kim was at the center of the so-called 'coin gate' in 2023. He held virtual assets 'Wemix' and faced controversies for conducting transactions during a congressional committee meeting, leading him to leave the Democratic Party. Furthermore, he faced legal proceedings for not disclosing his holdings of virtual assets valued at 9.9 billion won during his time as a lawmaker. However, the court ultimately acquitted him, stating that 'at the time, virtual assets were not a registered property under the Public Official Ethics Act.'
◇ 'Lee's university mentor' also received a love call… the mentor declined the offer
The Democratic Party's campaign committee allegedly proposed to join the committee to Lee's mentor and former member of the National Assembly, Lee Sang-don, who is an honorary professor at Chung-Ang University. Reports suggest that the proposal for the campaign committee's participation was also brought up by lawmakers like Moon Jin-seok from Chung-Ang University. However, it is reported that Professor Lee declined the Democratic Party's offer, stating that he 'no longer wishes to be involved in real politics.'
Another Chung-Ang University alumnus is former lawmaker Noh Woong-rae, who graduated from the Philosophy Department in 1978. Noh is currently on trial for allegedly receiving illegal political funds amounting to 60 million won. He has recently been known to have arranged a dinner meeting between pro-Lee faction lawmakers and Lee Jae-oh, the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Democratic Movement Memorial Foundation, who is associated with the MB faction.