Kim Jong-in on the impossibility of being a special envoy: “The presidential office mentioned it first… If I don’t go to the U.S., so be it.”

Displeasure at Negative Reactions Within Some Ruling Party Circles, On September 12, 2024, Lee Jae-myung, then leader of the Democratic Party of Korea (right), and Kim Jong-in, former emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, shake hands before having dinner at a restaurant in Jongno-gu, Seoul. National Assembly Photography Reporters.,
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, ‘Kim Jong-in, former emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, expressed his confusion over the ruling party’s claim that “Kim Jong-in is not suitable as a special envoy,” stating, “It’s not something I sought, but something requested by them, which I accepted. Therefore, I don’t understand why there’s so much talk about it.”’,
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, ‘In an interview with CBS Radio on , Kim discussed the rumor about his appointment as a special envoy to the U.S., saying, “Honestly, I was approached by the presidential office regarding the role of a special envoy, and after considering it, I agreed, but I haven’t heard anything further since then.”’,
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, ‘Kim continued, “From what I learned through the media, one of the senior officials communicated something to the president via Telegram. I am aware of who that senior official is and why they acted that way, but I prefer not to respond and just observe the situation as it is.”’,
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, ‘Previously, when news emerged that President Lee Jae-myung had designated Kim as head of the U.S. special envoy delegation, there were negative reactions from some parts of the ruling party. The controversy grew when a senior official from the Democratic Party was seen sending a text message to the president claiming Kim was unsuitable as an envoy to the U.S.’,

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, ‘Regarding the senior official, Kim said, “In the past, when I was chairing the emergency committee, this person served as my sponsor for nearly seven years. They seem to have a lot of discontent with me.” When asked by the host if he believed the official’s actions stemmed from personal discontent, he replied, “Yes, that’s the case. Therefore, I don’t feel the need to pay any attention to it.”’,
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, ‘He added, “Frankly, being a special envoy is not a significant position. I responded to the presidential office’s request, so if they ask me to go, I will, and if not, then I won’t.” He concluded, “I find it difficult to understand why someone would go as far as sending a Telegram message to the president over something like this.”