Kim Sang-wook’s Shocking Election Campaign: Why He Wore a Bulletproof Vest Amid Terror Threats
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Former lawmaker Kim Sang-wook, whom the Democratic Party nominated as its candidate for mayor of Ulsan, said he has received threats and disclosed that he plans to campaign wearing a stab-resistant shirt. The People Power Party criticized him, saying he is treating ordinary citizens as potential terrorists.
On May 4, Kim, a preliminary candidate for Ulsan mayor, explained on social media why he had not posted his campaign schedule in advance.
In the video, Kim said, “Why can’t I post the schedule? I’ve been threatened with a terror attack,” and showed that he was wearing protective clothing under his shirt.
He lifted his outer shirt to reveal the garment and added, “See this? It’s a stab-resistant shirt — a knife won’t penetrate it.”
A staffer accompanying him warned, “What if you display it so openly?” but Kim replied that he wanted to show from the outset that he was warning people not to stab him and that the vest would prevent a knife from penetrating.
In another video, Kim said he had received many harsh threats but emphasized that he would not hesitate to go out among citizens.
The campaign of People Power Party candidate Kim Du-gyeom pushed back, accusing Kim Sang-wook of portraying citizens as potential terrorists.
Moon Ho-chul, spokesman for Kim Du-gyeom’s campaign, held a press conference at the Ulsan City Council and criticized Kim, saying that displaying a stab-resistant shirt on camera without disclosing whether he had reported the threats or requested protection was sufficient to raise suspicion that he was turning the election into a sensational, fear-mongering spectacle.
He added that while a candidate’s safety is of course important, creating public anxiety without clear factual basis is not responsible campaigning.
Kim Sang-wook won Nam-gu, Ulsan, in the last general election as the People Power Party’s nominee, but he later changed his party affiliation amid the impeachment crisis surrounding former President Yoon Suk-yeol.
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