Kim Min-seok, the leader of the Democratic Party, has expedited key appointments since taking office on August 17, prioritizing competence over balance in his selections. Following the usual appointments, the party plans to announce further innovative appointments by the end of next week, with most lawmakers expected to take on roles.
According to the Democratic Party on August 22, spokesperson Park Seong-jun announced the appointments of political officials the previous day. The appointments include Kim Won-yi as the chair of the Strategic Planning Committee, Jang Cheol-min as the chair of the Public Communication Committee, Yang Bu-nam as the chair of the Legal Committee, Min Byeong-deok as the senior vice chair of the Economic Policy Committee, Heo Young as the senior vice chair of the Social Policy Committee, Heo Seong-moo and Park Hee-seung as the standing vice chairs, Kim Gi-pyo as the head of the Ethics and Inspection Committee, and Kim Hyun as the head of the Education and Training Institute.
Additionally, Choi Jae-sung, a former lawmaker, and Kim Kyo-heung were appointed as the heads of the party leader's advisory group, while Yoon Jong-gun was named the head of the Comprehensive Situation Room for the upcoming general election. Kang Wi-eon, a former vice governor of South Jeolla Province, was appointed as the head of the party leader's political coordination office. Kang Deuk-gu was designated as the head of the Democratic Research Institute's Innovation Task Force, and Kim Woo-young and Lee Don-tae were appointed as the heads of the Gangneung ITS Support Task Force.
On August 20, during a general meeting, Kim announced the nominations of Jeon Yong-ki and Kwon Mi-kyung, the chair of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions' Public Solidarity Federation, as the appointed top committee members. Jeon will represent the youth sector, while Kwon will focus on labor issues.
Furthermore, Kim appointed Han Jeong-ae as the Secretary General and Kwon Chil-seung as the Policy Chair. Notably, both Han and Kwon previously served as the Minister of Environment and Minister of SMEs and Startups, respectively, during the Moon Jae-in administration. Reports indicate that former President Moon praised Kim's balanced appointments during a meeting, to which Kim responded that he prioritized competence over balance.
On his first day in office, Kim also appointed spokesperson Park Seong-jun and Kim Tae-seon as the head of the party leader's secretariat. He further established the positions of senior deputy secretary general (Moon Jin-seok), organizational deputy secretary general (Ahn Tae-jun), publicity chair (Kim Nam-jun), chair of the Good Local Government Committee (Shin Jeong-hoon), head of the Democratic Party TV preparation task force (Han Woong-hyun), and spokespersons (Jo Gye-won, Lee Yong-woo, and Shin Hyun-young).
Since taking office, Kim has begun preparations for the upcoming general election scheduled for 2028. With discussions surrounding the by-elections for the Gangneung National Assembly seat and the Seoul mayoral by-election, he aims to ensure thorough election preparations. Kim has expressed that during this party convention, he is someone who has led the party to victories in general, local, and presidential elections. It remains to be seen whether the newly formed leadership of the Democratic Party can successfully regain the declining support among young voters.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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