Outgoing PM says ruling party should ′perfectly align′ with gov′t

▲ Prime Minister Kim Min-seok speaks during a meeting with the press on June 22, 2026. (Yonhap)

PM-ruling party

Outgoing PM says ruling party should 'perfectly align' with gov't

SEOUL, June 22 (Yonhap) -- The ruling Democratic Party (DP) should "perfectly align and cooperate" with the government to back President Lee Jae Myung's running of state affairs, outgoing Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said Monday, as he is widely expected to run for the top leadership of the party.

Kim made the remark during a meeting with the press set up to review Kim's one year as prime minister, as polls have shown that the approval ratings of Lee and the ruling party have been on a downward trend since the June 3 local elections, where the DP lost a few key races despite its resounding victory in overall races.

"We've been watching both the approval ratings of the president and the party falling at the same time," Kim said. "Now is the time when two things are necessary. The party and the government should perfectly align and cooperate, and the party should back the president's running of state affairs more than before the elections."

Kim, a key political ally of President Lee, is widely expected to run for DP leader in the party's national convention set for August in order to take over the party from current leader Rep. Jung Chung-rae in an effort to further solidify Lee's grip on the party.

Jung, a hard-liner, has drawn criticism from pro-Lee party members amid views that he is leading the party in a way that suits his own hard-line supporters, rather than trying to work in tandem with Lee on key issues, and the rift between supporters for Lee and Jung has recently intensified.

During the press meeting, Kim also talked about the main issues that he focused on as prime minister over the past year, including last year's successful hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the southeastern city of Gyeongju, the hosting of the Global AI Hub and resolving social conflicts, such as a strike by trainee doctors.

Kim, currently a national legislator, said he will try to have the government come up with a solution to the issue of ballot shortages during the local elections in a way where young voters lead discussions on the issue while the government plays a supporting role.

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