Kim Moon-soo

During the presidential campaign, Kim distributed his business cards inside the controlled area of Suseo GTX-A station, where electoral law prohibits certain forms of campaigning. On 24 April 2026, he was fined 500,000 won and did not appeal; the conviction became final on 6 May.

State of the evidence

Established by a court

Attribution

Personally implicated

After Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, Kim opposed his impeachment and took a strongly critical stance towards proceedings against the President. After becoming a presidential candidate in 2025, he apologised for martial law and said he accepted the constitutional decision.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

No legal proceedings

Attribution

Political responsibility

During the presidential campaign, Kim strongly criticised the Constitutional Court and compared the unanimity of certain rulings, notably concerning Yoon's impeachment, to practices in North Korea, China or communist states.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

No legal proceedings

Attribution

Personally implicated

Following his nomination as the People Power Party candidate, Kim refused a forced merger with former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. The PPP leadership then cancelled his candidacy and tried to change the rules to nominate Han, triggering an unprecedented crisis. Internal mobilisation and judicial decisions eventually led the party to reinstate Kim.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Kim opposed adopting a comprehensive anti-discrimination law, particularly debated for its protection of sexual minorities, arguing that such legislation could create reverse discrimination and restrict certain freedoms.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

No legal proceedings

Attribution

Directly implicated

Kim repeatedly attacked his rival Lee Jae-myung, comparing him to Kim Jong-un, Xi Jinping and Hitler to denounce what he portrayed as authoritarian tendencies.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

No legal proceedings

Attribution

Personally implicated

During a televised debate, Kim stated that he had never raised suspicions of electoral fraud. A civic organisation filed a complaint, arguing that this contradicted his earlier remarks and proposals, notably on early voting. Police opened an investigation.

Attribution

Directly implicated

In 2020, Kim attended several in-person services at Sarang Jeil Church despite a Seoul order prohibiting gatherings to limit the spread of COVID-19. Acquitted at first instance, he was fined 2.5 million won on appeal; the Supreme Court made the conviction final on 24 April 2025.

Attribution

Personally implicated

During the lengthy occupation of the SsangYong factory in 2009, Kim described the strikers barricaded inside as "suicide commandos", a phrase denounced as criminalising workers facing mass redundancies. The statement resurfaced at his 2024 ministerial confirmation hearing.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

No legal proceedings

Attribution

Personally implicated

Kim had described certain ceremonies and campaigns connected to the Sewol ferry disaster in 2018 as a "death ritual". Questioned about the phrase at his 2024 hearing for Labour Minister, he acknowledged the families' suffering but did not give the specific apology demanded by the opposition.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

No legal proceedings

Attribution

Personally implicated

During his ministerial confirmation hearing, Kim stated that Koreans during the colonial period legally held Japanese nationality, triggering strong controversy in a country where colonial sovereignty remains highly sensitive.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

No legal proceedings

Attribution

Personally implicated

Kim stated at his 2024 hearing that he considered former President Park Geun-hye's impeachment a mistake, distancing himself from a constitutional decision that had become a major reference point in South Korean politics.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

No legal proceedings

Attribution

Political responsibility

Kim described the initial events of 3 April 1948 on Jeju as an uprising clearly led by the South Korean Workers' Party, wording criticised for reducing a complex tragedy involving numerous civilian casualties to a simple communist uprising.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

No legal proceedings

Attribution

Personally implicated

Kim stated in a speech that many young people loved dogs but did not marry or have children. The remarks resurfaced ahead of his ministerial hearing and were criticised by youth organisations as caricaturing and blaming younger generations.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

No legal proceedings

Attribution

Personally implicated

Several older statements by Kim concerning trade unions resurfaced during his appointment as Labour Minister, notably the idea that a "damages bomb" was a special remedy against illegal strikes, and expressions calling for the trade union movement to be "washed" from the top.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

No legal proceedings

Attribution

Personally implicated

During a parliamentary audit, Kim stated that he considered former President Moon Jae-in an adherent of "Kim Il-sungism". The hearing was suspended following opposition protests denouncing ideological defamation.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

No legal proceedings

Attribution

Personally implicated

In August 2020, a video showed Kim strongly challenging police officers who wanted him to accompany a person linked to Sarang Jeil Church for a health check. He emphasised his identity as a former governor and denounced what he called a "COVID dictatorship", triggering widespread backlash.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

While Governor of Gyeonggi, Kim telephoned a fire station and became irritated when personnel did not recognise him or respond as he wished. Two firefighters were subsequently transferred, causing public outrage and an impression of abuse of status.

Attribution

Personally implicated