Keum Tae-sup (Korean: 금태섭, born 29 September 1967) is a South Korean politician and lawyer. He had been a member of the National Assembly from 2016 to 2020. Although he had been a member of the Democratic Party of Korea since entering politics, he was disciplined for opposing the party's opinion on the establishment of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, and defected from the party in 2020. He founded New Choice Party in 2023 and then merged with Lee Jun-seok's New Reform Party in the face of the National Assembly election.
Keum Tae-sup | |
|---|---|
금태섭 | |
 | |
| Member of the National Assembly | |
| In office 30 May 2016 – 29 May 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Shin Ki-nam |
| Succeeded by | Kang Sun-woo |
| Constituency | Seoul Gangseo A |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 September 1967 Seoul, South Korea |
| Political party | New Reform (2024–Present) |
| Other political affiliations | Democratic (2015–2020) New Choice (2023–2024) |
| Alma mater | Seoul National University Cornell University |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 금태섭 |
| Hanja | 琴泰燮 |
| Revised Romanization | Geum Taeseop |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kŭm T'aesŏp |
He has advocated for LGBTQ rights in South Korea. He participated in the Seoul Queer Culture Festival in 2018.[1][2]
Early life
editKeum was born in Seoul on 29 September 1967. His father, Keum Byeong-hun, was a judge, but was forced to resign after a judicial scandal in 1971.[3] He passed the bar exam in 1992 after graduating from Yeouido High School and Seoul National University Law School.[4]
When he was a prosecutor, he promoted the suspect's legally guaranteed rights through a column titled "How to get investigated properly" published in The Hankyoreh newspaper in 2006. However, he quit his job as a prosecutor and worked as a lawyer after stopping the series due to pressure from the prosecution.[5]
Political career
editIn 2012, Keum entered politics by legally supporting Ahn Cheol-soo's presidential campaign.[6][7] He served as spokesman for the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) during 2014.[8] He remained in the Democratic Party when Ahn founded the People Party and left the NPAD.
In the 2016 parliamentary election, he ran in the Gangseo A constituency and won the election by beating Saenuri Party candidate Ku Sang-chan.
Defection from DPK
editOn 30 December 2019, Keum was the only one to abstain from legislation to establish the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, which his party decided to approve as a party platform. Later, some party members submitted a request for disciplinary action against him, and he was issued a warning on 25 May 2020. He requested a retrial, saying that it would be against the Constitution that other opinions in the vote would be grounds for disciplinary action, but the DPK leadership did not conclude.[9][10]
On 21 October 2020, Keum defected from the Democratic Party of Korea. He cited his disciplinary action as the reason for leaving the party. He also criticized the DPK for its "shameless behavior of flip-flopping", saying it has lost its old flexibility and communication culture.[11]
As an independent
editWhile working as an independent politician, he tended to cooperate with conservative parties, frequently criticizing the DPK.[12] He announced his candidacy for the Seoul mayoral by-election on 31 January 2021, but lost to Ahn Cheol-soo in the primary to select a single candidate for a third party.[13]
New Reform Party
editOn 8 December 2023, Keum announced the creation of a new political party, "New Choice", with Ryu Ho-jeong, a member of the Justice Party. He held a joint foundation contest on December 17 and announced that his goal is to win 30 seats in the 2024 election.[14][15]
On 9 February 2024, his party merged with the New Reform Party led by Lee Jun-seok.[16] In the 2024 election, he ran in the Jongno constituency as a member of the New Reform Party, but finished third with 3.22% of the vote.[17]
Election history
editGeneral elections
edit| Year | Constituency | Party Affiliation | Votes (%) | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Gangseo A | Democratic | 37,649 (37.24%) | Won |
| 2024 | Jongno | New Reform | 2,835 (3.22%) | Lost |
References
edit- ^ Lee, Ga-yeong (2018-07-14). 퀴어축제 참석한 금태섭 "민주당, 부스 설치하라". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). Seoul.
- ^ Kim, Ji-hyeon (2021-02-20). 금태섭 "퀴어축제 안 볼 권리? 안철수 얘기는 혐오 발언". Hankook Ilbo (in Korean).
- ^ Kim, Seong-yoon (2023-11-27). "남편이 똘끼 충만? 정치에 빌붙자고 옳지 못한 일 해선 안되잖아요". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Seoul.
- ^ Kim, Chang-seok (2006-09-26). 그 왕따, 조폭스럽다. The Hankyoreh 21 (in Korean). Seoul.
- ^ Keum, Tae-sup (2006-09-18). 현직검사가 말하는 '수사 제대로 받는 법'. The Hankyoreh (in Korean). Seoul.
- ^ Park, Gwang-beom (2012-06-15). 안철수, 금태섭 변호사와 만나…무슨 얘기?. Money Today (머니투데이) (in Korean). Seoul.
- ^ Cho, Yang-joon (2012-07-23). 이훈규·손범규-박근혜 지원… 금태섭·강인철-안철수 보좌. The Seoul Economic Daily (서울경제) (in Korean). Seoul.
- ^ Park, Se-hee (2014-03-28). "靑, 새정치연합 창당 축하…분위기는 '냉랭'". Newsis (in Korean). Seoul.
- ^ 조응천 "금태섭 징계? 낙천이라는 어마어마한 벌 받았는데 또…". The Dong-A Ilbo (in Korean). Seoul. 2020-06-02.
- ^ Roh, Ji-won (2020-09-21). [단독] 민주당 윤리심판원, '금태섭 징계' 재심 결론 또 미뤄. The Hankyoreh (in Korean). Seoul.
- ^ Chung, Hwan-bong (2020-10-21). 금태섭, 결국 민주당 탈당…"정치적 유불리만 계산하는 모습에 절망". The Hankyoreh (in Korean). Seoul.
- ^ Cho, Jun-hyeok (2020-11-18). 금태섭 "지금의 민주당은 진보 아니다…오만과 독선만 남아". The Korea Economic Daily (in Korean).
- ^ Kim, Hyeon-bin (2021-03-01). 안철수, 금태섭 꺾고 '제3지대' 서울시장 단일화 후보로. Hankook Ilbo (in Korean).
- ^ Han, Hye-won (2023-12-08). '제3지대' 새로운선택-세번째권력, 신당 창당 선언(종합). Yonhap News Agency (in Korean).
- ^ Cha, Seung-eun (2023-12-17). 새로운선택·세번째권력 공동 창당대회…"30석 목표". Yonhap News TV (연합뉴스TV) (in Korean).
- ^ 제3지대 4개 세력, 합당 합의…통합신당 명칭은 '개혁신당'. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean).
- ^ Kim, Gyeong-min. [개표상황] '노무현 사위' 곽상언, 정치 1번지 종로서 '당선'. News1 (뉴스1) (in Korean).
External links
edit- Keum Tae-sup on Twitter