Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok was photographed by news cameras looking at a notebook in the National Assembly chamber. The page carried the words "Seoul mayor" alongside a list of names believed to belong to prominent ruling-party politicians, setting off a range of speculation.
A photograph taken by Dailian on the 9th shows the words "Seoul mayoral candidates" in Kim's notebook, followed by names appearing to be those of ruling-party figures. The first line contains what appear to be "Hoon-sik," "Won-sik" and "Cheong-rae," read as references to Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik, former National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik and former Democratic Party leader Jung Cheong-rae. Below them, though blurred and difficult to make out, were what some read as "Won-oh," for former Seongdong District Mayor Chung Won-oh, and "MJ," for Rep. Ko Min-jung. Others suggested the names could belong to Park Hong-keun, minister of planning and budget, or Reps. Park Ju-min and Jeon Hyun-heui. Some read "MJ" instead as "MS," a reference to Kim himself.
Those listed have all been floated as potential Democratic Party candidates for Seoul mayor. That prompted speculation that Kim had drawn up the memo while sizing up possible contenders for a by-election, anticipating a ruling next year that could strip Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon of his post. Oh was indicted on charges of commissioning opinion polls from political broker Myung Tae-kyun ahead of the April 7, 2021, Seoul mayoral by-election and having a businessman close to him cover the costs. A lower court fined him 10 million won and ordered him to forfeit 21 million won. If the sentence is upheld, he would lose the mayoralty.
What Kim intended by the memo has not been confirmed. Park Sung-joon, the Democratic Party's chief spokesperson, told reporters that he had informed Kim the photograph had surfaced but that Kim offered no comment. "He is probably listening to a range of views," Park said.
Some in political circles read the episode as deliberate, noting that Kim let a memo open to political interpretation be seen while apparently unguarded. In particular, the inclusion of Jung, with whom Kim has clashed in factional disputes, drew suggestions that the note carried a message of restraint. Jung pushed back on his Facebook page. "Now he attacks with a notebook. I find it distasteful," he wrote. "'Min-seok' and 'Young-gil,' who dreamed of becoming Seoul mayor and lost, are good candidates too, so write them down in your notebook."
On the facing page of the notebook, the names of Rep. Lee Jin-sook of the People Power Party and independent Rep. Han Dong-hoon appeared alongside the word "OUT." Han fired back: "'Han Dong-hoon OUT' — is he imitating Noh Sang-won's notebook?"
