President Lee Appoints Kim Min-seok As South Korean PM

JAKARTA - South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday appointed Kim Min-seok, an activist who turned into a member of parliament and deputy chairman of the Korean Democratic Party (DPK) campaign committee as prime minister.

It was the first announcement after Lee was sworn in on Wednesday after winning the presidential election the day before.

"Anggota parlemen Kim Min-seok adalah kandidat yang tepat untuk memimpin pemulihan ekonomi dengan pengalaman parlemennya yang kaya, ketakutan politik dan kebijakan serta kesensitif yang baik terhadap urusan internasional," kata Presiden Lee kepada wartawan di ruang pengararan presiden di Seoul, melansir The Korea Times 4 Juni.

Known as one of the key figures in the pro-Lee faction in the liberal party, Kim (61) was elected to the Highest Council in August 2024 before joining the presidential campaign team.

For the general elections held in the same year, Kim was also director of campaign operations and helped lead the party to a landslide victory.

To hold an official position, Kim must obtain approval from the National Assembly for a process that is unlikely to face significant obstacles, as the ruling party holds the majority.

Once confirmed, he will start forming the Lee Cabinet by recommending the appointment of ministers, as outlined in the Constitution.

Apart from Kim, President Lee also appointed Kang Hoon-sik, a former DPK spokesman, as his first chief of staff.

Famous for his ability as an election strategist, Kang (51) helped Lee formulate a strategy during his campaign for the 2022 presidential election and served as director of party campaign operations this time.

"Kang Hoon-sik is the head of strategy for presidential elections, which have expertise in economy and budgeting. He will act as a facilitator of state affairs," said President Lee.

In another announcement, the president nominated Lee Jong-seok, the former minister of unification, for the director of the National Intelligence Agency (NIS).

Lee Jong-seok is a North Korean expert who strongly supports the Sunlight Policy adopted by Kim Dae-jung's previous government focused on humanitarian engagement and assistance, instead of a confrontational approach, to promote peace and reunification with North Korea.

He served as a member of the National Security Council (NSC) before becoming minister of unification during the Moo-hyun Roh administration, which continued a reconciling approach to North Korea.

"He is the right person to protect national interests amid a trade war, with his experience in strengthening intelligence gathering capabilities of intelligence agencies and improving his information delivery system as a member of the NSC," the president said, adding he would use his expertise to find breakthroughs for frozen inter-Korean relations.

Meanwhile, another member of parliament, Wi Sung-lac, who previously served as Ambassador to Russia between November 2011 and May 2015, was appointed as the next NSC Director. He is expected to pursue the goals of a peaceful and prosperous Korean Peninsula through pragmatic diplomacy in the era of "great transformation," the president said.

As for Hwang In-kwon, a retired four-star Army general, was appointed head of the next Presidential Security Service. During the Moon Jae-in administration, Hwang served as commander general of the 2nd Operations Command between October 2018 and September 2020.

At the position of first spokesman, President Lee appointed MP Kang Yu-jung, who previously served as a spokesman for the presidential election campaign team.

"In the future, the appointment of new government officials will be based on achievements and focus on national unity," said President Lee.

It is known that ministers and deputy ministers from Yoon Suk-yeol's government previously submitted a mass resignation letter earlier this week.