PM Kim Min-seok formally enters race for Democratic Party leadership

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said Sunday he would "open a golden age of democracy from the sea of party members," formally signaling his bid for the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea.

The remarks are widely interpreted as a declaration of intent to contest the party leadership at the Democratic Party convention expected around August or September.

Kim posted the statement on X, formerly Twitter, shortly after President Lee Jae Myung announced the nomination of Han Sung-sook, minister of SMEs and Startups, as the next prime minister candidate. "I have informed the president of my intention to resign as prime minister and return to the Democratic Party," Kim said.

He said the defining mission of the Lee Jae Myung administration — like the New Deal era in the United States or the building of the welfare state in Sweden — is to establish South Korea as an irreplaceable leading nation. "President Lee is opening that first door," Kim said. "The revival of K-democracy, the Kospi approaching 10,000, the push to become a global AI hub, the hallyu wave — these are all signs of Korea's golden age."

He added that politics is the realization of the spirit of the age, and that firmly supporting the Lee administration's vision is both the wish of the people and the mission of the Democratic Party's one million members.

Kim said the results of the local elections and by-elections "demand awakening, vigilance and reform from the ruling Democratic Party, which bears unlimited responsibility."

He said the lesson of the Democratic Party's history — from Kim Dae-jung through Roh Moo-hyun and Moon Jae-in to Lee Jae Myung — is that unity between the party and the government, and an expanded pragmatic approach to people's livelihoods, is the only path to success and consecutive terms in power. To achieve the three goals of governing success, a general election victory and continued rule, he said, the party must become "a powerful, pragmatic coalition that holds both economic growth and democracy."

Kim doubled down, saying his next mission — having designed the Lee administration's governing plan and served as chief of staff of the first Cabinet — is "to build a strong and capable Democratic Party that breaks through the resistance of vested interests and realizes the spirit of the Lee Jae Myung administration."

He also expressed deep gratitude to the public for standing by the president and the government over the past year, and to President Lee and party members for entrusting him with the role. He pledged to "do my utmost without any lapse in my duties as prime minister" to ensure his successor, nominee Han, is confirmed through the confirmation hearing without disruption.

Meanwhile, Cheong Wa Dae responded to Kim's announcement with a statement expressing deep gratitude for his service. "We are deeply grateful for the efforts of Prime Minister Kim, who, as the first prime minister of the Lee Jae Myung administration, led the country's recovery from the insurrection," the presidential office said.

Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik said at a briefing that day that "it would not be far off to say that the achievements of the Lee Jae Myung administration over the past year are in effect the achievements of Prime Minister Kim."