Namhee Kim of the Democratic Party Announces Bid for National Women’s Committee Chair: "Expanding Women's Political Representation"

"I will create a Democratic Party where women's voices are not silenced"

Namhee Kim, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, officially announced her candidacy for the position of National Chair of the Democratic Party’s Women’s Committee on October 6, stating, "I want to create a Democratic Party where gender equality prevails, where women's voices are not silenced, and where women's political representation can flourish."

In a press conference at the National Assembly that day, Assemblywoman Kim said, "The proportion of female members of the National Assembly in Korea stands at 20 percent, among the lowest of the OECD countries," adding, "Women's political representation continues to lag behind other areas of Korean society."

Namhee Kim, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea. Yonhap News Agency

She went on to point out, "Many regional branches of the Democratic Party are dedicatedly led by women, but their commitment does not receive sufficient recognition. Although a significant portion of Democratic Party supporters are women, their voices do not easily reach the heart of politics."

Assemblywoman Kim emphasized her experience by saying, "I have consistently amplified voices for women's policies, women's safety, and expanding women's political representation, and have taken the lead in legislative and budgetary efforts." She highlighted her roles as a member of the National Assembly's Gender Equality and Family Committee and the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, Director of the Center for Women's Leadership, Chair of the Gyeonggi-do Party Women’s Committee, gender policy officer at the National Policy Planning Committee, and member of the Special Committee on Deepfake Issues.

She continued, "While serving on the National Policy Planning Committee, I personally drafted gender equality policies for the Lee Jae-myung administration," adding, "I hope to play a role in further developing these policies within the Democratic Party."

Assemblywoman Kim also shared, "During the criminal procedure code amendment process, many people sent me long text messages to support my efforts to ensure that women's voices were reflected. Although it may not be an easy path, I have decided to gather my courage, thinking of the many women party members who have encouraged me."

After the press conference, Kim told reporters, "There is no department at the Democratic Research Institute dedicated to women's policies," and revealed that, "I am considering ways to expand the Institute’s authority regarding women’s policy." She added, "I also intend to present my pledges related to expanding women’s political participation."

The Democratic Party will accept candidate registrations for the National Chairs on October 7–8, and then hold elections for delegates and dues-paying members from November 1 to 3. The National Chair of the Women’s Committee is responsible for enhancing women’s political participation and discovering and fostering female politicians, and will serve as an ex officio member of the Nomination Management Committee for the 2028 general elections. With Kim’s announcement of her candidacy, following speculation over the potential candidacy of Assemblywoman Jeongbok Moon, the likelihood of a contested election has increased.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.