‘Daughter of general’ elected to leadership

Rep. Kim Eul-dong was the only woman among four new members elected to the ruling Saenuri Party’s Supreme Council Monday.

At its national convention, the governing camp elected Rep. Kim Moo-sung as chairman and members of the Supreme Council, including seven-term lawmaker Suh Chung won.

Rep. Kim Eul-dong, former actress and noted President Park Geun-hye supporter, is a second-term lawmaker representing Seoul’s Songpa-C district.

“I will do my upmost to help the party win the July 30 by-elections,” she said on being elected.

She worked as an actress for almost 40 years beginning in 1967, and appeared in almost 40 movies and TV dramas.

Her son, Song Il-gook, is also a famous actor.

On top of her striking acting career, Kim is also known because she is the daughter of independence fighter and politician Kim Doo-han (1918-1972), and granddaughter of Gen. Kim Jwa-jin (1889-1930), an admired 1920s independence fighter.

Gen. Kim is called the “Korean Makhno” for his important role in the attempted development of Anarchism in Korea. Nestor Makhno was a Ukrainian anarchocommunist revolutionary and the commander of an independent anarchist army in the Ukraine during the Russian Civil War.

To commemorate Gen. Kim’s achievements, the South Korean Navy’s fourth 1,800-ton submarine, built to defend against North Korean provocations and the growing maritime ambitions of neighboring states, was named after him last year.

The life of her father Kim Doo-han, also a second-term lawmaker, was recalled in “The General’s Son” action series, which went on to become one of the biggest ’90s hits.

Inheriting her father and grandfather’s activities as anti-Japan fighters, Rep. Kim has been focusing on efforts to correct historical facts pertaining to the Japanese colonial era and clear pro-Japanese groups and figures from South Korea.

When she declared her bid to run for the national convention in June, she vowed to ensure that 30 percent of parliamentary candidates will be women to reflect the voices of female voters i n the National Assembly.

“After the Korean War ended in 1953, the Republic of Korea has single-mindedly pursued success and economic growth at the expense of other key values,” she said.

“The Sewol ferry tragedy was a man-made di s a s t e r and reflected the ugly side of our society, driven by selfishness, a lack of justice and patriotism... We need to rebuild the nation by inheriting some of the spirit of great fighters for justice and their dedication to the community.”