President Lee Jae-myung’s decision to nominate Kim Min-seok as prime minister places a seasoned political strategist at the heart of his new government. A four-term lawmaker and influential figure within the ruling Democratic Party (DP), Kim is a central figure in the party’s the “New Pro-Lee” (신명) faction and one of the president’s most trusted lieutenants.

Kim, 62, played a central role in helping steer the DP through former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s Dec. 2024 martial law declaration and the impeachment crisis that followed. His early warnings that Yoon could declare martial law — initially dismissed by critics as alarmist when first raised in Aug. 2024 — were vindicated when Yoon invoked emergency powers.