Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said on the 4th, “The retention of Minister Song Mi-ryung of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, appointed during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, does not indicate the policy direction of the Lee Jae-myung administration.”
On the same day in the morning, Prime Minister Kim visited a group of farmers protesting in front of the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul, calling for Minister Song’s resignation, following the receipt of his appointment letter from President Lee Jae-myung.
At the meeting, Prime Minister Kim noted, “President Lee Jae-myung has a strong awareness of food sovereignty, food security, and agricultural sovereignty, and he believes that the president must take charge of agricultural policy more than any previous administration.”
Prime Minister Kim expressed to the leaders of the group, “I understand your feelings against Minister Song’s retention,” and added, “When people ask about using the previous administration’s minister, they say it’s fine (in terms of integration). But I think it raises the question of why it has to be the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and why an explanation wasn’t given in advance. I completely understand the concerns being raised.”
He explained, “There are no perfect scores when selecting a minister, but I pondered whether it would be better to appoint a new minister who is not from the previous administration and has communicated more with farmers.” He concluded, “Ultimately, retaining one minister from the last administration can have meaning in terms of national integration.”
He added, “We have no choice but to judge the retention criteria based on how involved they were in rebellion, and based on what has been revealed so far, I think the level of involvement is relatively lower.”
Prime Minister Kim also requested, “In conclusion, the new government’s agricultural policy is, in a way, a government of farmer sovereignty, as it represents the sovereignty of the people. Please refrain from expressing distrust toward the new government’s policies.”
He further suggested, “It may not have been easy for Minister Song to accept and decide on her retention. The new government should head towards creating more social agreements made through discussions with the sovereigns. Let’s discuss these matters together, including this issue.”