South Korean PM candidate vows 'inclusion' amid opposition calls for withdrawal
South Korean Prime Minister nominee Kim Min-seok speaks at a briefing for foreign media in downtown Seoul on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI
SEOUL, June 17 (UPI) -- South Korean prime minister nominee Kim Min-seok on Tuesday rebuffed calls for his withdrawal by the opposition party over past political funding scandals and vowed to pursue "the politics of inclusion" in a deeply polarized climate.
Kim, who was nominated for the prime minister's office by recently elected President Lee Jae-myung, is expected to undergo a parliamentary confirmation hearing next week.
The conservative opposition People Power Party is calling for him to step aside, however, citing convictions for receiving illegal political donations in 2002 and 2008. He is also facing additional allegations of illegal fundraising as well as accusations of nepotism.
The 61-year-old four-term lawmaker has said the charges are politically motivated and on Tuesday vowed to work with the opposition even as his liberal Democratic Party holds a large majority in the National Assembly.
"I understand sufficiently that they are either criticizing or opposing my nomination for prime minister," Kim told foreign media at a briefing in downtown Seoul. "However, even if I understand their opposition, that doesn't mean that legal issues that do not exist come to exist."
"Of course, I will engage in politics based on the absolute majority that we hold in the National Assembly," Kim added. "But at the same time, I am determined to pursue the politics of inclusion."
Kim was a key adviser for Lee Jae-myung's successful campaign in the June 3 snap election caused by former President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law attempt.
The opposition People Power Party has stepped up its calls for Kim to withdraw in recent days, saying that suspicions regarding the nominee are mounting.
"The solution is simple and clear," PPP spokesman Kwon Dong-wook said in a statement Monday. "Kim's voluntary resignation is the answer."
In a Facebook post Monday, Kim said that his past convictions stemmed from a "targeted investigation of the political prosecution."
"It is a targeted investigation case that is unclear even about who demanded the political funds and why," he wrote.
On Tuesday, Kim said he would "definitely address all of the issues" during his confirmation hearing and would do his best to persuade the opposition.
"Former President Kim Dae-jung used to say that you need to be patient with criticism coming from the opposition, but if the criticism is incorrect, you need to persuade them," Kim said.
"I will be more patient than what would probably be expected by the current opposition," he said. "And I am determined to be very persuasive with them."
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