Outgoing PM pledges to revive party ratings, prepares for party leadership race

Outgoing Prime Minister Kim Min-seok pledged efforts to lift public support for the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) as he prepares to leave his post and focus on party affairs, signaling his intention to run for the party leadership. He implied that current DPK leaders, including Chairman Jung Chung-rae, were responsible for the disappointing results in the June 3 local elections and the downward trend in approval ratings for both the party and President Lee Jae Myung. Kim offered his evaluation of the party’s situation on Monday at a press conference, during which he also reviewed his experience as prime minister over the past year, which he is set to leave as soon as his successor is appointed. He is widely believed to be preparing to run in the party’s leadership race, in a national convention set for August. “Now is the time for the party and the administration to show perfect alignment and cooperation, and for the party to do more than it did before the elections to support the president's governance and work to raise overall support for both the party and the administration,