New Prime Minister Kim Min-seok to focus on economy, transparency and accountability

Kim Min-seok, Korea's new prime minister, aims to revitalize the economy and unite the country amid controversies regarding his past. Appointed by President Lee Jae Myung, he will focus on transparency and accountability in governance.

Top: Prime Minister Kim Min-seok takes the oath of office during his inauguration ceremony at the government complex in Sejong City on July 7. [NEWS1]

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Kim Min-seok, a four-term liberal Democratic Party (DP) lawmaker and close ally of President Lee Jae Myung, formally became Korea's 49th prime minister last week.

On Thursday, the DP-controlled National Assembly passed the confirmation motion for Kim, 61, a former student activist, with 173 votes in favor, three against and three invalid, in a vote boycotted by the main opposition People Power Party (PPP).

"The fate of the country can change depending on what the prime minister does," President Lee told Kim as he presented him with an appointment letter on Friday.

"All processes and procedures in policy discussions and implementation must be fully transparent," Lee said to Kim, according to presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung. "If any mistakes or errors occur, public officials must promptly acknowledge them, devise countermeasures and take responsibility."

Kim pledged that he in turn will expedite state affairs.

Last December's martial law fiasco highlighted the crucial role of the prime minister, the second-in-command, who becomes acting president upon the incapacitation of the president.

Following the ouster of President Yoon Suk Yeol on Dec. 14 last year, then Prime Minister Han Duck-soo became acting president. Han was replaced by the deputy prime minister after his own impeachment later that month, but resumed the role from March to May 1, when he stepped down from the post to declare his bid as an independent presidential candidate.

In his inauguration ceremony at the Sejong government complex on Monday, Kim said he as prime minister will "become a chief aide" who will "usher in a new era for the great Republic of Korea, great people and a great president by overcoming the scars of insurrection and a second IMF [International Monetary Fund] crisis."

While Kim has indicated that his role as prime minister would be that of a "chief aide" to the president, helping to overcome the martial law crisis and weak economy, it remains to be seen how he steers Lee's Cabinet and defines the position.

President Lee Jae Myung, right, speaks with Prime Minister Kim Min-seok at a Cabinet meeting held at the Yongsan presidential office central Seoul on July 5. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

Youngest lawmaker, political comeback

Kim has been considered a prominent figure in the new pro-Lee Jae Myung faction within the DP, referring to the president's more recent allies, as a staunch political confidant and strategist in Lee's presidential campaign.

A native of Seoul, Kim graduated from Seoul National University (SNU) with a degree in sociology. He later received a Master of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School, a Master of Laws from Tsinghua University in China and a Juris Doctor from Rutgers University–Newark.

During his days at SNU, Kim served as president of the student body during the pro-democracy movement of the 1980s.

Kim was amongst over 70 university students to occupy the U.S. Cultural Center in central Seoul in May 1985 in an unarmed protest against to find answers to the Gwangju massacre of 1980 during the Chun Doo Hwan regime. Kim was sentenced to five years and six months in prison for his role in the occupation, and was pardoned after serving three years in 1988. He graduated from SNU the following year.

Kim entered politics in the early 1990s, under the mentorship of late liberal President Kim Dae-jung.

In 1996, Kim became the youngest lawmaker at the time when he was elected to the National Assembly at the age of 32 and was reelected for a second term. In 2000, he also served as chief of staff to Kim Dae-jung, then head of the liberal Millennium Democratic Party, a precursor to the current DP.

In 2002, Kim resigned as a lawmaker to run for mayor of Seoul, but lost the race to the conservative candidate, former President Lee Myung-bak.

Then liberal presidential candidate Roh Moo-hyun, right, and Seoul mayoral candidate Kim Min-seok cheer at a party rally in Myeong-dong, central Seoul, on May 28, 2002. [YONHAP]

In the presidential election later that year, Kim sided with independent Chung Mong-joon, then president of the Korean Football Association and the son of the late Hyundai Group founder Chung Ju-yung, over liberal candidate Roh Moo-hyun during a candidate merger process, sparking controversy. Kim subsequently lost in the following general election and struggled to revive his political career for some 18 years.

Kim was reelected to the National Assembly in 2020 to represent Seoul's Yeongdeungpo District, and won a fourth term in the parliamentary election last year.

Lee is considered the key figure who enabled Kim's political comeback after the prolonged slump following his defeat in the Seoul mayoral election. Their partnership grew as Kim served as a strategist in Lee's 2022 presidential election. Kim supported Lee during the tight presidential race against PPP candidate Yoon Suk Yeol in 2022 and has served as the DP's chief policymaker and a senior member of the party's supreme council. As head of the DP's campaign operations in the April general election last year, Kim helped lead his party to a landslide victory.

Lee, as DP leader, showed staunch support for Kim and openly endorsed him at the DP convention in August 2024, where Kim was elected a supreme council member.

In April, Kim published a book titled in Korean "About Lee Jae Myung" ahead of the presidential election.

Kim in turn is cited as one of the earliest and strongest voices warning about the danger of Yoon imposing martial law, raising concerns as early as August last year, four months before Yoon's declaration on Dec. 3.

On June 4, Lee, in his first round of appointments after taking office, named Kim as his nominee for prime minister.

"Rep. Kim Min-seok is the right candidate to lead the recovery of the economy with his rich parliamentary experience, political and policy acumen and good sense of international affairs," Lee said in a press briefing on June 4 at the Yongsan presidential office.

The controversies

The prime minister is the only Cabinet post that requires formal parliamentary approval, and nominees in the past notoriously had difficulties passing the confirmation hearing process.

However, since the DP currently holds a parliamentary majority, Kim was able to breeze through the vote despite a PPP boycott.

During the confirmation hearing, PPP lawmakers criticized Kim's financial transparency, questioning the source of his income and the significant discrepancy between his reported personal wealth and expenditures. There were also allegations surrounding whether there had been nepotism in his son's college admissions and questions over Kim's own studies at Tsinghua University.

Kim was accused of receiving illegal funds from the SK Group during his 2002 Seoul mayoral campaign, and in 2004, he was sentenced to eight months in prison, with a two-year suspension, and fined 200 million won ($146,000). In 2005, the Supreme Court upheld the ruling that Kim violated the Political Funds Act, barring him from public office for 10 years. Kim has claimed the case was a targeted investigation by prosecutors.

The PPP has questioned how Kim could afford to send his son to a prestigious U.S. university, with an annual tuition of over $70,000, given his declared assets of 200 million won.

Likewise, they have questioned his involvement in the U.S Cultural Center occupation, accusing him of anti-American sentiments, which Kim has denied.

"I have a relatively deep understanding of the United States and have personal interactions with key figures in the [Donald] Trump administration," Kim said in a press conference on June 10 ahead of his confirmation hearing. "I believe that serving as prime minister in many ways will contribute to improving Korea-U.S. relations."

Kim is known to speak English, Japanese and Chinese.

While Kim stated that any questions would be answered through the confirmation hearing process, the PPP claimed that the allegations were not fully addressed and that Kim failed to disclose key documents.

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, left, inspects a construction site for a national museum in Sejong City on July 7 to prepare for the heat wave. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

His first actions and tasks

Upon his appointment as prime minister, Kim Min-seok emphasized that his top priority would be overcoming the economic crisis and restoring public livelihoods.

Kim has likewise been busy at work, attending his first Cabinet meeting on Saturday, an icebreaker moment for him to meet with ministers from both the old and new administrations.

In his inauguration ceremony in Sejong on Monday, Kim pledged to carry out his duties with passion regardless of political affiliation, saying he will become a chief coordinator who will "safeguard a new dawn of the people."

He wore a red necktie, signifying intentions of political unity.

Kim, known as a devout Christian, has often stressed he is an early riser, in contrast to night-owl President Lee.

President Lee Jae Myung, centers, holds a luncheon meeting with Prime Minister Kim Min-seok at the Yongsan presidential office in central Seoul on July 7. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Later Monday, Lee and Kim held their first luncheon meeting, during which the president asked his new prime minister to take an active role in resolving political conflicts and social issues, including the trainee doctors' walkout.

Lee emphasized that Kim should "pay special attention to safety, order and people's livelihood," the presidential office said. This includes reducing the number of fatal accidents in industrial settings and natural disasters.

The president also instructed Kim to devise measures to secure talent in the fields of AI and biotechnology.

Kim now faces heavy tasks, including those of a prime minister who needs to help the president unify the country, resolve social strife and prevent disasters, while also successfully heading the 2025 APEC organizing committee ahead of the large-scale summit set to be held in Gyeongju this fall.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]