# Kim Min-seok inaugurated as South Korea’s new prime minister in Sejong
Kim Min-seok has been inaugurated as South Korea’s prime minister at a ceremony in Sejong, beginning a new chapter for the government only days after the National Assembly approved his nomination.
The Korea Herald reported that Kim’s inauguration took place four days after lawmakers confirmed him in a vote boycotted by the main opposition People Power Party. That made him the first prime minister under President Lee Jae Myung. The ceremony was held in the government complex in Sejong, the central administrative city 109 kilometers south of Seoul.
Kim used the ceremony to set a political tone for his tenure, saying he wanted to help the nation overcome the wounds of insurrection and what he called a second IMF crisis, a reference to the failed martial law attempt under former President Yoon Suk Yeol and to the country’s economic challenges. The language signaled that the new administration wants to frame its agenda around both democratic recovery and economic repair.
The location of the ceremony also carried practical meaning. Sejong is home to many government ministries, including the prime minister’s office and the finance ministry, and Kim said he planned to remain there for the rest of the week to focus on regional development issues. Before the ceremony, he visited a nearby museum construction site to check workers’ conditions and heat-wave preparedness.
President Lee had asked the new prime minister to “thoroughly look after Sejong” as part of a broader pledge to pursue balanced development across regions. That gives Kim an early mandate beyond routine cabinet management: he is being positioned as an administrator who can align central government operations with regional policy goals.
The inauguration also reflects the political reality surrounding his approval. The opposition boycott underscored continuing partisan tension even as the new government took office. Kim’s confirmation did not create consensus, but it did clear the way for him to assume the prime minister’s post and begin work immediately.
For South Korea, the moment is less about ceremonial transition than about setting priorities. Kim is stepping into office during a period shaped by economic anxiety, institutional aftermath from the martial law episode and demands for more even regional development. His first week in office was designed to show exactly that mix of symbolism and administration.
By choosing Sejong for the ceremony and his early schedule, the new prime minister sent a message that the government’s center of gravity will not be Seoul alone. That may prove politically useful as the Lee administration seeks to balance national recovery, ministry coordination and regional promises from day one.
