Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moon-soo stated, “I have not considered or thought about running for president,” during a meeting with reporters on the 4th after the government-party consultation meeting on introducing special provisions for the 52-hour workweek under the Semiconductor Special Act at the National Assembly.
Minister Kim, when asked about the possibility of running in an early presidential election, responded, “While an early presidential election may be possible, it’s not something that can be definitively stated at this time,” noting the ongoing impeachment trial and related investigations concerning President Yoon Seok-yeol.
Recently, Minister Kim ranked first among ruling party candidates in a preference poll for future leaders and second overall, including opposition candidates, following Lee Jae-myung, the representative of the Democratic Party of Korea.
Despite his high poll rankings, Minister Kim attributed this to expressing common sentiments like “it would be better if the president were not imprisoned” and “it would be good if the president were released.” He expressed concerns that many common-sense matters are not being realized nowadays and suggested that people are responding this way out of frustration.
Minister Kim also emphasized that the impeachment proposal against President Yoon should be dismissed by the Constitutional Court, highlighting that no one would want the country’s presidents to repeatedly face impeachment and unhappy chapters in history.
Regarding any visits to President Yoon as a Cabinet member, Kim stated, “There are no current plans, but I’m not certain,” adding that while he’d like the president to be released soon, he lacks the authority to decide when.
Minister Kim also criticized the notion of automatically labeling visits to the president as collaboration in rebellion. He remarked that many lawmakers from the Democratic Party have also been imprisoned and that the idea of not even visiting someone who hasn’t had a first trial verdict yet is harsh and inhumane.
Last month, during a National Assembly session where Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and other Cabinet members apologized for a martial law situation, Minister Kim remained seated, citing that it was an overreach to force all seated Cabinet members to apologize.
Finally, Kim expressed support for an exception to the 52-hour workweek cap for R&D personnel in the semiconductor industry but stressed the need for appropriate measures to ensure workers’ rights to health and rest are not compromised due to long working hours.