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."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
32 minutes ago
Only 1 detainee who escaped from New Jersey ICE facility remains at large: FBI
Only one of the four detainees who escaped from an immigration detention center in New Jersey last week remains on the loose, according to federal authorities. The FBI's Newark field office said Tuesday it is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest of Andres Felipe Pineda Mogollon, who remains at large after escaping from Delaney Hall Detention Facility in Newark nearly a week ago. The reward has more than doubled, increasing from $10,000. Mogollon, a 25-year-old Colombian national, has been charged with escape from the custody of an institution or officer, and a federal arrest warrant has been issued for him, according to the FBI. He is illegally in the country after overstaying a tourist visa, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Mogollon was previously arrested by the New York City Police Department in April for petit larceny and by the New Jersey Police Department in May for residential burglary, conspiracy residential burglary and possession of burglary tools, according to DHS. He is one of four detainees who escaped from the Delaney Hall facility on Thursday. DHS described the four men as "public safety threats." As of Sunday, two of the detainees -- Joel Enrique Sandoval-Lopez and Joan Sebastian Castaneda-Lozada -- were back in custody, while Mogollon and the fourth -- Franklin Norberto Bautista-Reyes -- remained at large, according to the FBI. As of Tuesday, Bautista-Reyes is no longer at large, according to the FBI, which has not released details about the apprehension of any of the escaped detainees. Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., said at a news conference on Friday that the four men escaped from the facility by breaking through a wall -- which he described as "drywall with a mesh interior" -- in a unit that led to an exterior wall and into a parking lot. Kim said he was briefed on escape by the facility's administrators and ICE officials. Kim said the escape followed "disturbances" and unrest over the past 24 hours related to food access at the privately owned facility, which has been contracted out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. However, the Department of Homeland Security released a subsequent statement saying, "contrary to current reporting, there has been no widespread unrest" at Delaney Hall.
UPI
an hour ago
- UPI
Milei eyes legislative win to push second wave of reforms
Argentine President Javier Milei, pictured here at the United Nations Headquarters in 2024, plans to introduce a new package of state and economic reforms to Congress. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo June 17 (UPI) -- Argentine President Javier Milei plans to introduce a new package of state and economic reforms to Congress after the country's legislative elections in October. Milei hopes the vote will strengthen his party, La Libertad Avanza, which holds limited representation in Congress. He aims to win control of the Senate with allies, unseat the Peronist-Kirchnerist bloc and push his reform agenda through quickly. Recent polls show Milei's party leading voter preferences by a wide margin, polling between 37% and 43%. The left-leaning coalition Unión por la Patria trails with support between 30% and 33%, while other parties lag far behind. If Milei wins big in October, he plans to launch a broader reform program targeting Argentina's government, judiciary and public security system. On fiscal policy, Milei says he wants to cut consolidated public spending to no more than 25% of GDP by 2027. "The national government, provinces and municipalities will all have to do their part," he said. The administration plans to eliminate 90% of national taxes, keeping only six, in a bid to dismantle Argentina's complex tax system and shrink the state bureaucracy. Milei has pledged to give Argentines "greater economic freedom," including lifting price controls and opening up foreign trade. On security, the government wants to lower the age of criminal responsibility, raise penalties under the penal code and pass a national security law. The measure would expand powers for the state, intelligence services and law enforcement to combat crime. The proposed justice reform seeks to address the country's public safety crisis by curbing what the government sees as excessive political influence over the judiciary. Milei has said he will nominate candidates this year to fill all vacancies in the federal justice system. That includes top judgeships, federal courts, prosecutors and public defenders -- positions that account for about 40% of Argentina's federal bench. On the economic front, the government plans to end controls on foreign currency transactions, expand deregulation, downsize overlapping agencies and speed up privatizations. Officials have not ruled out including Aerolíneas Argentinas. On immigration, Milei wants to tighten citizenship rules, restrict free access to public healthcare -- particularly along the Bolivian border -- and limit enrollment of foreign students in national universities. He also aims to authorize expedited deportation procedures. In labor policy, the government aims to curb union power. The plan would require 75% of normal operations to continue during strikes in essential services such as healthcare, education, security and telecommunications. For sectors deemed critically important -- including food production, banking, exports and construction -- a minimum service level of 50% would be required. Milei's first reform package included deep fiscal austerity, cutting public investment, halting money printing by the Central Bank, closing state agencies and laying off about 43,000 public employees. The government also launched privatization efforts for eight state-owned companies. The measures triggered a drop in consumption and wages, affecting employment and private sector output. Still, the administration points to falling inflation -- down to 1.5% in May -- along with rising imports and exports, climbing stock values for Argentine companies and a new agreement with the International Monetary Fund as key achievements.
Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
19-year-old gets cramp while swimming at waterfall, then he vanishes, WA cops say
A 19-year-old was swimming at a popular waterfall in Washington when he got a cramp and didn't resurface, deputies said. Authorities responded to the incident at about 6:45 p.m. June 12 at Eagle Falls, the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post. The man was swimming at the waterfall with friends, deputies said. At one point, he cramped and went under the water, so his friends tried to help him, deputies said. Rescuers then found him and performed CPR for 20 minutes, but he died at the scene, deputies said. His body was taken to the medical examiner. The man's identity has not been publicly released. Is it safe to swim in Eagle Falls? Eagle Falls runs into the South Fork Skykomish River along U.S. Route 2. The falls are about a 55-mile drive northeast of Seattle. Although there are some reports of people swimming in the area, deputies warn against it. 'The water has an extremely strong current underneath that can pull down even the strongest swimmers. The water is fast,' the sheriff's department said in a 2021 Facebook post. Authorities, who said they respond to rescue calls every year in the area, encourage people to find other swimming spots and always wear a life jacket. One of those calls included two men who fell into the waterfall last March, McClatchy News reported from the sheriff's office. Their bodies were recovered a day after they vanished in the water, deputies said.
