After Minister Nominee Falls, Will Kim Minseok Seek a Turnaround with Livelihood and Constitutional Reform?

Leadership Shift Amid Growing Calls for Accountability

Kim Highlights "Now is the Time for Field Engagement"

With Kim Seung-won, the nominee for Minister of Justice, stepping down voluntarily just 20 days after his nomination, questions of responsibility are now being raised not only toward the Blue House but also toward the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. The Democratic Party, which had publicly defended Kim, is now signaling a shift in leadership with a focus on livelihoods and constitutional reform.

On September 21, Kim Minseok, leader of the Democratic Party, appeared on Democratic Party TV and declared, "Now it's time to be on the ground," announcing that he would be visiting field sites every day going forward. On this day, he visited a city bus garage at dawn when the first bus departed and met with bus drivers and representatives of bus operating companies.

(Uijeongbu=Yonhap News) Byungsik Lim = Kim Minseok, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the 16th Gyeonggi Province Supreme Council meeting held at the Gyeonggi Northern Government Complex in Uijeongbu-si, Gyeonggi-do, on the morning of the 21st. 2026.9.21 andphotodo@yna.co.kr (End)

Kim stated, "It has been over 100 days since the local elections ended, and just over a month since the party convention concluded. The President also said he would listen more to the people, and the party has finished its month-long preparations," adding, "From myself, I will show the Democratic Party as a party safeguarding the dawn of the nation and will personally visit field sites daily."

The previous day, Kim signaled a policy shift by proposing constitutional reform. At a press conference marking the launch of the Democratic Party's Constitutional Amendment Promotion Task Force, he remarked, "The President has expressed his will to amend the constitution multiple times, and the obstacles raised by the opposition have been clearly addressed. Now, it is time to move away from quibbling over words and shift toward a serious discussion on constitutional reform." The target for the amendment is the first half of next year, with plans to hold a national referendum before the general election in 2028.

Internal conflicts, including the controversy over the nomination of Kim Ji-yong as Commissioner for the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA), are challenges Kim must address immediately. In particular, Choo Mi-ae, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, has been openly at odds with the President, saying, "The President is anxiously clinging to insurgent forces." In response, Park Ji-won, a five-term Democratic Party lawmaker, directly criticized, "The level of attacks on the President is excessive" and added, "Do not become the Jang Dong-hyuk of the Democratic Party."

Kim Minseok, who has previously had public disputes with Governor Choo over issues such as election consulting expenses and the reduction of the DMZ Film Festival budget, directly met with her at the Gyeonggi Province Supreme Council meeting that day. He stated, "I believe and expect that Gyeonggi Province, led by Governor Choo, will serve as an excellent and outstanding model in every aspect, including policy, personnel, and communication."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.