In 2016, he left the Saenuri Party because of President Park Geun-hye's scandal.

He helped establish the new Bareun Party with other conservative politicians who left Saenuri.

On 21 July 1998, there was a by-election in Paldal-gu to replace former member, who was also his father, Nam Pyeong-woo, who died on 13 March 1998.

On 25 January 2017, Nam declared that he would run for the president of South Korea in 2017.

[2] He was defeated in his party's primary by his sole opponent, Yoo Seong-min MP.