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Kim Launches Unity Task Force and Opens First Talks With Main Opposition

The move signals an attempt to restore parliamentary dialogue as disputes over Supreme Court nominations and a criminal complaint complicate progress.

Overview

  • On Monday, Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok ordered a party-run political-unity task force under his direct control and named four-term lawmaker Park Beom-kye to lead it.
  • Kim also set up a separate outside-expert review to examine flaws in the DP's recent leadership election and recommend specific changes to the party's voting procedures.
  • Kim held his first leader-level meeting with People Power Party chief Jang Dong-hyeok and both pledged continuous dialogue even though they remain split on housing policy and oversight of a proposed 100 trillion won chip windfall fund.
  • A procedural dispute over Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae's written recommendation of two justice nominees was raised by Jang and remains a live institutional tension because such recommendations are usually coordinated in person.
  • Kim named Rep. Lee Hae-sik to lead outreach to the Rebuilding Korea Party, which responded with regret over the DP's unilateral approach, and PPP lawmaker Lee Jin-sook filed a criminal complaint against Kim for an earlier insulting remark.