Prime Minister nominee Kim Min-seok said on the 10th, "(Currently, Korea is facing) a second IMF crisis, worse than the IMF," and added, "I will be a loyal chief of staff in overcoming this crisis."
On this day, Kim noted during a press conference held at the Financial Supervisory Service training center in Tongui-dong, Seoul, where the prime minister's office was established, "It is a comprehensive crisis in politics, economy, and social culture, and the level of economic hardship is deeper and wider, and the international environment is more complicated, leading to a national crisis of whether we will stabilize as a developed nation or fall behind."
He believes that “the new government must start by accurately revealing the current crisis, which has worsened due to its failure to cope with a great national transition,” and emphasized that “a calm diagnosis of the crisis for problem-solving, not finger-pointing, is urgent.”
He added, "The prime minister is the chief of staff who helps the president manage the national agenda. In terms of providing more routine explanations of state affairs to the public, I will be a 'chief of staff to the public,'" and stated, "I will ensure that the government coordinates to systematically realize the people's orders, the spirit of the times, and the president's philosophy and direction, fulfilling my obligation to provide sincere explanations to the citizens."
Kim expressed his willingness to engage actively in the National Assembly's personnel confirmation process. He said, "I will actively participate in a transparent personnel confirmation process. I will gladly do my best to facilitate thorough background checks by the public and the media," and hoped that "the National Assembly's confirmation process would become a serious policy verification discussing the country's future." He added, "It is my responsibility to undergo a thorough verification," and humbly requested the National Assembly to expedite the confirmation process.
Before the confirmation process is completed, he also pledged to act as President Lee Jae-myung's aide in governance. Kim said, "Although the confirmation for the prime minister is pending, I will do my utmost to ensure that there is no gap in governance," adding, "I will prepare in advance for all matters of interest to the public and the National Assembly, such as emergency economic measures, price control plans, and sorting out national tasks proposed by the National Planning and Coordination Committee, and will listen to opinions from all sectors."
Regarding President Lee's directive the previous day to prepare price control measures, he explained, "I have requested the prime minister's office to hold a discussion on price control measures that can be prepared at both the government level and the prime minister's office level, so that I can participate in the discussions as soon as possible."
Concerning the current crisis in the Korean economy, he said, "The potential growth rate is much lower than it was during the IMF crisis. The growth trend back then was a relatively gentle rise, but now we are experiencing a decline or stagnation," adding, "The industrial environment is tougher than ever. The surrounding conditions from the U.S., China, and Japan are not easy. Situations like inflation and liabilities regarding national fiscal conditions are quite serious."
He also mentioned, "We are facing a situation where the global economic conditions are changing ahead of the tariff negotiations raised by President Trump," and stated, "The preceding government left behind not a legacy but severe liabilities."
He said, "Along with the absolute task of recovering economic growth, priority must be given to addressing the extreme hardships faced daily by small business owners, self-employed individuals, ordinary citizens, and even most corporations, and the complicated issues of how to immediately propose solutions to overcome this crisis are intertwined like a tangle of threads."
When asked about the additional supplementary budget and funding measures that the Lee Jae-myung government aims to pursue, he replied, "Is there any disagreement among the ruling and opposition parties on the necessity of conducting a supplementary budget, promoting consumption, and investing for long-term recovery of growth rates?" He added, "I speculate that the best way to secure supplementary budget resources will be to combine finding new resources with the traditional method of maximizing savings on current expenditures."
Regarding the 'key public official citizen recommendation system' announced by President Lee that day, he remarked, "From the perspective of the Lee Jae-myung government, which is based on the philosophy of popular sovereignty, it is very natural," and noted, "In terms of the expansion of democracy, it's a very natural development to broaden respect for the public's judgment and preferences regarding appointments."
In response to a question about whether the implementation of the citizen recommendation system will delay the appointment of new civil servants in the government, Kim stated, "There is no reason for it to necessarily be delayed," and explained, "Once my confirmation is complete, it will be possible to appoint those the president wishes to appoint through a procedure that I recommend."
Regarding the accusations of being an 'anti-American' due to involvement in the U.S. Cultural Center occupation incident in Seoul in May 1985, he stated, "That incident was a significant event that made the Gwangju issue known to the world following the Gwangju Democracy Movement in 1980, and raised the question of whether the U.S. allowed the military movement of the Korean army under Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo at that time," and added, "It had great significance in raising awareness of the Gwangju Democracy Movement globally."
He assessed that, regarding the incident, "The awakening of Korea and the U.S. through that event has accumulated historical experiences in which the U.S. government consistently supported the Korean people and democracy and did not agree with military coup forces during this light revolution process."
In response to the opposition’s criticisms calling him an 'anti-American,' he rejected, "I see the American constitution as the greatest export of the U.S. to the world," and emphasized, "I have a deep understanding of the U.S. and have maintained personal connections with key figures in the Trump administration for quite some time."
Regarding the fines imposed for violations of the Political Fund Act, he stated, "I will provide all relevant materials in detail in the future," adding, "I personally consider it fortunate to have the opportunity to clarify this issue during this time."