Politics · South Korea · 1 hr ago
Kim Min-seok criticizes attacks on South Korea’s president amid party dispute
South Korea’s Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok has criticized repeated attacks on President Lee Jae-myung and the party leadership.
The dispute involves criticism from hardliners in the governing camp, including over the choice of Kim Ji-yong to lead the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency.
A confirmation hearing for Kim Ji-yong is approaching.
President Lee recently wrote that some people demand senior posts and then attack from within when they do not get their way.
Kim Min-seok said critics have repeatedly changed their arguments and targets.
Separately, Interior and Safety Minister Yoon Ho-jung ordered an inspection of Im Eun-jung, a prosecutor who criticized the appointment.
Kim said many people have asked him why Im is not being left alone, while advising public officials to focus on their work.
Kim Min-seok said some ruling-party critics have repeatedly changed their arguments and targets while attacking South Korea’s president and the party leadership.
He described the pattern as unreasonable and said the criticism appeared to be continuing.
His remarks came amid a dispute over the appointment of Kim Ji-yong as chief of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency.
President Lee Jae-myung had posted a message on October 9 criticizing people he said sought senior positions and then attacked from within.
Kim also said he had received many messages asking why Lim Eun-jung was being left alone after an order to investigate her.
- Who
- Kim Min-seok, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, commented on criticism of President Lee Jae-myung and the party leadership.
- What
- He criticized what he described as repeated attacks by ruling-party hardliners, saying they shifted their arguments and targets.
- When
- October 12, 2026.
- Where
- At a Democratic Party online program; the article also reports his remarks at a National Assembly leadership meeting in Yeouido, Seoul.
- Why
- The remarks came amid disputes over the appointment of Kim Ji-yong as agency chief and criticism of that appointment.
Kim Min-seok
Ruling-party hardliners
Criticism of the president and party
Kim Min-seok
Kim said critics repeatedly changed their arguments and targets while attacking the president and party leadership.
Ruling-party hardliners
Hardliners have criticized the appointment of Kim Ji-yong as chief of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency.
There have been cases where people keep changing their targets and arguments.
I receive so many messages saying, “Why are you leaving Lim alone?
I think the biggest underlying frustration is that this is unreasonable.
President Lee posted on X criticizing people he said sought senior positions and then used radical reform as a pretext to attack from within.
Kim Min-seok commented on the president’s post and criticism of the appointment of Kim Ji-yong.
- Party leader
- Kim Min-seok
- President
- Lee Jae-myung
- Agency chief nominee
- Kim Ji-yong
- Date of Lee’s X post
- October 9, 2026
- Date of Kim’s remarks
- October 12, 2026










