| Native Name Lang: | ko |
| Birth Date: | 5 June 1976 |
| Birth Place: | Gangbuk, South Korea |
| Citizenship: | South Korean |
| Office1: | Member of the National Assembly |
| Constituency1: | Namyangju 3rd |
| Term Start1: | 30 May 2020 |
| Predecessor1: | Joo Kwang-deok |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Alma Mater: | Hanyang University KAIST |
| Occupation: | Lawyer, politician |
Kim Yong-min (born 5 June 1976) is a South Korean lawyer and politician and, since 2020, the Member of the National Assembly for Namyangju 3rd constituency. He is one of the prominent pro-Cho Kuk MPs, along with Kim Nam-kuk and Choe Kang-wook.
Born in Seoul, Kim attended Younghoon High School before majoring in law at Hanyang University.[1] [2] He also studied for a Master of Engineering at KAIST.[2]
After qualifying for the bar in 2003, he had been working at the Korean Bar Association and for Lawyers for a Democratic Society (LDS), of which he was the deputy secretary-general.[1] [2] In 2013, he defended Naneun Ggomsuda sued for breaching the Public Official Election Act.[1] He was also in charge of defending Yoo Woo-seong, a North Korean defector who was falsely accused as a spy.[2] During the 2016 political scandal, Kim revealed that Ko Young-tae was unfairly examined by the prosecution.[2] In 2018, he defended Chung Bong-ju, who was involved in a sexual harassment controversy.[3]
On 7 February 2020, Kim joined the Democratic Party, along with Kim Nam-kuk.[3] [4] Soon after, he became a potential candidate for Namyangju 3rd constituency that was held by Joo Kwang-deok.[5] However, because he became the candidate without any preselections,[6] other pre-candidates protested and some urged him to withdraw.[7]
Following his confirmation as the Democratic candidate for Namyangju 3rd, Kim faced a challenge against the then MP Joo Kwang-deok, who was seeking re-election under the banner of the United Future Party (UFP).[8] The competition was widely described as "Cho Kuk War", as Kim was a strong advocate of the former minister of justice, Cho Kuk, while Joo was a "sniper" against the former minister.[8] In the election on 15 April, Kim defeated Joo with a margin of 4,286 votes.[9]
On 16 April 2021, approximately a year after his election, Kim launched his bid for the party's vice presidency in the by-election on 2 May.[10] He received 17.73% and was elected with the highest votes in an upset victory.[11] [12] The Maeil Business Newspaper said that the outcome was due to strong support from pro-Moon Jae-in members.[12]
A progressive figure,[3] Kim is one of strong advocates of Cho Kuk,[8] along with Kim Nam-kuk and Choe Kang-wook.[1] [2] He supports the prosecution reforms promoted by the Moon Jae-in government.[1] [2]