"18 Years as a Private Citizen, Fearful of Heaven and the People"

On the 26th, the day after Kim Min-seok, the Prime Minister nominee, completed his National Assembly confirmation hearing, he expressed his thoughts, stating, "If I am confirmed, I will take heaven and the people as the pillars of my judgment."

This is interpreted as his intention to firmly accept the responsibilities of being the inaugural Prime Minister nominee of the Lee Jae-myung administration.

In a post on his personal Facebook that morning, Kim wrote, "During my 18 years of being a private citizen, I have learned through my entire being that heaven and the people are both the most fearful and the most grateful existence," and he added, "Now, I will stand before the people with that fear and gratitude."

He expressed his gratitude by saying, "I have completed my Prime Minister confirmation hearing," and thanked "Chairman Lee Jong-bae of the special confirmation committee, the committee members, and the people who have been watching."

He continued, "From late afternoon on the 25th, the opposition committee members did not come to the meeting room, causing the hearing to automatically adjourn at midnight," explaining that while they had raised issues concerning insufficient document provision, they had already expressed their willingness to provide the requested materials.

"I feel sorry for the shortcomings in meeting the expectations of the people"

Kim said, "Even though I have been striving to fulfill my public responsibilities amid a challenging life, there may still be many shortcomings in meeting the expectations of the people," adding, "I sincerely apologize for that."

He also stated, "As the first Prime Minister nominee of the Lee Jae-myung administration, I feel a tremendous sense of responsibility," and declared, "I am determined to become a chief of staff who overcomes the crisis of people's livelihoods and opens the era of a 'great Republic of Korea.'"

"I will prepare to work and calmly wait in the remaining time"

Kim mentioned, "Today, I am at the National Assembly in the capacity of a member of parliament," and conveyed, "I will calmly wait during the remaining time until my confirmation as Prime Minister while preparing to support the government's administration."

Meanwhile, the confirmation hearing for Kim took place over two days on the 24th and 25th. On the second day, the 25th, there was continued contention between the ruling and opposition parties regarding suspicions about Kim's property, academic background, and issues related to his children's admissions, as well as the failure to submit documents.

At 4:30 PM, Chairman Lee Jong-bae declared a recess, and when an attempt was made to reconvene at 8:30 PM, the meeting could not resume because the members of the ruling party did not enter the meeting room, leading to the automatic adjournment past midnight.

Image source: Kim Min-seok, Prime Minister nominee / News1