When is the National Assembly's confirmation for Prime Minister nominee Kim Min-seok expected?

Prime Minister nominee Kim Min-seok's National Assembly confirmation

The Lee Jae-myung government has prioritized improving the quality of life for the people and recovering the stagnant economy since its inception. The first step in realizing this 'working cabinet' is the confirmation of the Prime Minister. However, that initial step is currently obstructed by fierce political strife. The confirmation process for Prime Minister nominee Kim Min-seok is being delayed amid political confrontation, raising concerns that we are missing the golden time for restoring people's livelihoods.

The first gateway of the 'working government', the emergence of candidate Kim Min-seok

The direction of the cabinet proposed by the Lee Jae-myung government is centered on practicality and results. Candidate Kim Min-seok is evaluated as a suitable figure for policy coordination and solving livelihood issues in the changed national administration environment due to his long legislative and administrative experience and centrist pragmatism. This is why there are expectations for him as a ‘field-oriented prime minister’ who will lead the government's key tasks such as expanding public healthcare, stabilizing housing, creating jobs, and fostering innovative industries. Therefore, the approval of Candidate Kim goes beyond a simple personnel matter it serves as a benchmark for whether the Lee Jae-myung government can embark on full-fledged policy implementation. However, even this approval process has devolved into a battleground of political strife, causing the momentum of governance to slow down from the outset.

Confirmation process and the stance of the Democratic Party

The candidate Kim completed a two-day confirmation hearing from June 24 to 25, and the Democratic Party stated that 'sufficient verification has been conducted, and most of the raised suspicions have been resolved.' Following this, on June 29, the Democratic Party declared that it would promptly handle the confirmation of candidate Kim and the supplementary budget bill during the extraordinary National Assembly session. The Speaker of the National Assembly also set July 3 as the deadline for voting on the confirmation and emphasized the National Assembly's responsibility for the early normalization of the government. The Democratic Party plans to process not only the confirmation of the Prime Minister but also the amendment to the Commercial Act aimed at improving corporate governance, as well as the supplementary budget that includes support for small and medium-sized enterprises and fostering innovative industries. This indicates that it is not just a simple appointment but a key to the recovery of people's livelihoods and the economy. However, if the confirmation is delayed, the realization of these major policies will inevitably be postponed as well.

The Poverty of the Opposition Strategy and Political Justifications of the People Power Party

The People's Power Party is blocking the confirmation process in effect by refusing to adopt the confirmation report, citing insufficient document submission during the hearing process. Furthermore, they are holding their own 'People's Hearing' to wage a war of public opinion under the pretext of verifying morality. However, reconstructing public opinion through unofficial events after the formal hearing undermines the principles of legitimate procedures. Insulting the nominee with derogatory remarks such as 'Cabbage Prime Minister' and 'Wardrobe Prime Minister' has also continued. Yet, repeating such moral stigmatization without decisive illegality or corruption allegations cannot help but appear as political smear rather than legitimate checks. The People's Power Party's strategy surrounding the confirmation is ultimately resulting in delays in national governance.

The victims of political strife are ultimately the people.

The Prime Minister is not just a simple advisor to the President. He chairs the Cabinet meetings, coordinates policies between departments, and plays a practical central role in budget execution and advancing livelihood issues. If the confirmation of the Prime Minister is delayed, the government's policy execution will diminish, and the repercussions will directly affect the people. Particularly, during the regular National Assembly in July, significant livelihood bills related to strengthening public healthcare, expanding job opportunities, supporting youth, and industrial transition are pending. If the confirmation is delayed, the discussion schedule for these bills will be compressed, and there is a high risk of hasty deliberations. The Democratic Party has strongly criticized this, stating that 'the delay in the Prime Minister's confirmation is a hostage situation that leads to a paralysis of state affairs,' and has classified the opposition's refusal to confirm as essentially a denial of the results of the presidential election. On the other hand, the People Power Party is questioning the Democratic Party's monopolization of standing committee chairs and initiative schedules, holding them accountable for destroying cooperation. However, what matters from the public's perspective is not the blame game over political strife, but whether policies that can immediately change lives are functioning properly.

Conclusion – Approval is not a matter for negotiation

The National Assembly is an institution that controls the executive branch and, at the same time, serves as a guardian of people's livelihoods. However, when the confirmation process is misused as a means of political bargaining, the fundamental functions of the National Assembly are diminished, and the constitutional order is shaken. If the legal verification of the prime minister candidate nominated by the president is completed, it is now necessary to move beyond party confrontations and make responsible decisions. The confirmation of candidate Kim Min-seok is not just a matter of individual appointment, but an expression of the minimum political trust necessary for a functioning government. Politics must ultimately be a means for the lives of the people. The current reality, where people's livelihoods are taken hostage by politics, is by no means desirable. Cooperation is the foundation of politics that seeks common goals while acknowledging each other's existence. The confirmation of the prime minister should be the starting point of that cooperation, and political calculations that obstruct this are a shortcut to losing the trust of the people. The era of political conflicts that hold livelihoods hostage must come to an end. What is needed now is not the victory or defeat of political strife, but responsible politics for the lives of the people.