Radio Appearance: "Following the People's Demands Is the Fate of Politicians"
Speculation about Park Min-sik, Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, running in next April's general election is resurfacing. If Minister Park resigns from his post to run in next year's election, he would have served less than a year as the inaugural minister of the Patriots and Veterans Affairs Ministry.
On the 4th, Minister Park appeared on SBS Radio and said regarding his potential candidacy in next year's general election, "It is the fate of politicians and public officials to follow the demands of the people." He also stated, "My own will is not important," adding, "If the people or those who support me say that I perform well in a certain position, I must follow that."
This statement can be interpreted as opening the possibility of running in next year's general election, contrary to his previous stance.
Rumors about Park running in the election have circulated since his confirmation hearing. Park began his career as a prosecutor in 1996 and entered politics in 2008 by joining the Grand National Party (the predecessor of the People Power Party). He served as a member of the National Assembly representing Busan Buk-Gangseo Gap district during the 18th and 19th sessions. During last year's presidential election, Park worked as the general deputy director of the situation room in Yoon Seok-yeol’s presidential primary campaign and later served as a special advisor to the president-elect.
Because of this, members of the National Assembly’s Political Affairs Committee questioned Park about his election prospects during his confirmation hearing in May. At that time, Park expressed a negative stance on running, saying, "I believe the most important ministry in South Korea right now is not the Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Industry, or Ministry of Justice, but the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs."
In response, Yoon Young-duk, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, said, "If there is even a 1% chance of candidacy, the nominee should refuse the nomination and resign," adding, "To run in next year's general election, one must resign from public office 90 days prior, so he would only be serving as the inaugural minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs for about six months."
After the questioning, Baek Hye-ryun, chairperson of the National Assembly’s Political Affairs Committee from the Democratic Party, also criticized, saying, "As the standing chairperson of the Political Affairs Committee responsible for the Patriots and Veterans Affairs Ministry, I believe the inaugural minister should not treat the ministerial position as a stepping stone for the general election."
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