Shin Jang-sik: "President Lee Responded to Concerns with Reshuffle... Doubts over Leader Kim Min-seok's Discord"

- "Livelihood Cavalry" engages in grass-roots politics visiting flophouse villages and traditional markets
- Lee Hae-min as Senior Secretary for AI? She has strong passion for work and will return after doing a great job
- President Lee responded to ongoing concerns through this appointment... moving at high speed
- In favor of Mega Project advisory post, but concerned about a traditional bureaucrat taking the helm
- Things got tangled from the system for Yong Hye-in... different approach needed for 'satellite parties'
- Kim Min-seok ostentatiously appointed Kim Yong-nam to the policy committee... raises doubts
- Demanding communication channels without restoring trust? Is this an 'integration offensive'?
- Sorting out dual party memberships is also a political offensive... then grant Democratic Party membership
- Kim Min-seok is not just out of step with President Lee's response, but being contrary
- Bulking up through moderate expansion? Concerned about marginalizing other parties
- Unless the governing coalition is solidified, a 5th democratic administration will be out of reach

■ Broadcast: SBS Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show (FM 103.5 MHz 7:00 AM – 9:00 AM)
■ Date: September 1, 2026 (Tuesday)
■ Host: Attorney Kim Tae-hyun
■ Guest: Shin Jang-sik, Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Representative Lee Hae-min of the Rebuilding Korea Party has been selected as the Senior Presidential Secretary for AI. Some evaluate this as taking care of the left. How does the Rebuilding Korea Party view this? Let us hear from party leader Shin Jang-sik. Hello, Leader Shin.

[Shin Jang-sik] : Hello.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : First, before talking about the cabinet reshuffle, after becoming party leader, you said, "I will wipe away the sweat and tears of those who are even worse off, not just the voices of the vulnerable," and launched the 'Livelihood Cavalry.'

[Shin Jang-sik] : Yes.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : This means you are going to take care of various grassroots livelihood sites, right?

[Shin Jang-sik] : That is right.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : A cavalry moves quickly, after all.

[Shin Jang-sik] : With tomorrow's visit to Mokpo Dongbu Market, it will be the 14th visit.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : You have traveled quite a lot.

[Shin Jang-sik] : Yes. It has been about five weeks, meaning I have visited two or three places every week.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Which place left the deepest impression on you? Of course, all cities are important and precious.

[Shin Jang-sik] : Every place is filled with sweat and tears. The most memorable was when we first started at Rider Union, meeting delivery workers. During the peak heat wave, the asphalt temperature rose up to 50°C (122°F). It went up to 50°C (122°F) or 60°C (140°F), and they had to make deliveries wearing all their safety gear.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Wearing arm and leg sleeves too.

[Shin Jang-sik] : Covering all arms and legs and putting on sleeves. But they said they could not work without cooling sleeves because the sun makes it even hotter.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : That is true. The sunburn stings.

[Shin Jang-sik] : Yes, it stings. And starting from the Dongja-dong flophouse village, we visited Yeongdeungpo Market, Gwangju Malbau Market, Busan Gijang Market, Daegu Seonamsin Market, and will go to Mokpo tomorrow. We also visited Gangseo Wholesale Market. Our determination was to provide even a blunt solution if a sharp one is unavailable, meaning we would not just take photos and eat tteokbokki. We wanted to demonstrate self-reliance through grass-roots, on-the-ground politics. When I went to Yeongdeungpo Market, I saw something: the market alley also serves as a walkway for residents. They get off at the bus stop and walk through the market alley to get home. However, the market merchants pay all the electricity costs for the streetlights there. Isn't that strange?

[Kim Tae-hyun] : That is peculiar.

[Shin Jang-sik] : Yes. And there are many markets like that.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Since it is practically a public road, local governments should bear the cost.

[Shin Jang-sik] : There are many markets like that. It was the same at Daegu Seonamsin Market, which I visited on August 30. So yesterday, we introduced a bill addressing such places.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Is that so?

[Shin Jang-sik] : This establishes a legal basis for local governments to provide support. We believe that if there is no sharp solution, we must offer a blunt one, and we must always provide feedback.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Understood. Representative Lee Hae-min of the Rebuilding Korea Party is an IT expert. She was recruited as an IT expert and became a proportional representative of the Rebuilding Korea Party, and now she has been tapped as the Senior Presidential Secretary for AI. You described this as a 'dispatch.' What does that mean? A dispatch implies going and coming back.

[Shin Jang-sik] : In our lawmakers' group chat and our party affairs committee room, she announced the news and left a message at the very end saying, "I will do a great job and return."

[Kim Tae-hyun] : She is going after resigning from her proportional representative seat, right?

[Shin Jang-sik] : She is resigning before taking the post. In fact, Representative Lee Hae-min gave up her salary, stocks, and everything to start her career as a lawmaker. Being a lawmaker is secured for at least two years, whereas a senior presidential secretary can be dismissed at any moment. Observing her closely, she has immense passion and obsession for her work.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : In her specialized field.

[Shin Jang-sik] : Yes. She works so hard that you wonder when she sleeps. The post of Senior Secretary for AI had been vacant for a long time. Furthermore, since my candidacy, I have repeatedly emphasized our party's principle: "We cooperate on public livelihood, compete on reform, and unite to defend democracy." This decision was made based on that principle.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : A precious talent of your party—though the successor taking the seat must also be excellent.

[Shin Jang-sik] : Former Minister of Government Legislation Kim Hyoung-yeon is truly outstanding. He will particularly demonstrate his capabilities during the judicial reform phase. He is a former presiding judge.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : In any case, the Rebuilding Korea Party has lost an IT talent. Are you disappointed, or do you feel relieved and welcome this? Could this serve as an opportunity for solidarity between the ruling bloc?

[Shin Jang-sik] : Solidarity with the ruling camp—meaning cooperating with the administration for the success of the Republic of Korea—is on a different track from our relationship with the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party is both our competitor in reform and a partner for solidarity.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Still, voters tend to equate the Democratic Party with the administration.

[Shin Jang-sik] : What worries me when watching Leader Kim Min-seok's recent moves is that regarding this cabinet reshuffle and the appointment of Senior Secretary Lee Hae-min, the public began to doubt whether the administration was dismantling the candlelight and lightstick coalition itself.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Toward whom? Toward the president?

[Shin Jang-sik] : Toward the president.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Looking at past appointments?

[Shin Jang-sik] : Yes, and looking at the administration's trajectory. But the president has nonetheless responded to that doubt.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Like saying recently that he needs to take care of the left.

[Shin Jang-sik] : It is a response. While the phrasing of 'taking care of the left' makes those of us who identify on the left, like the Rebuilding Korea Party, wonder, "Are we a subject to be taken care of? No, we are comrades who held the candlelight and lightsticks together," he nevertheless responded to those doubts. What worries me again is Leader Kim Min-seok's behavior.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : So do you give high marks to the president's cabinet reshuffle?

[Shin Jang-sik] : No.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Not that either?

[Shin Jang-sik] : Regarding the president's reshuffle, I see it as emphasizing speed and showing a response. Nothing is an all-or-nothing game.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : At least the effort to restore the democratic-progressive coalition that held the candlelight together is evaluated as—

[Shin Jang-sik] : A response. I think it is still at the level of a response.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : A response to those demands?

[Shin Jang-sik] : A response. To those doubts and concerns.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Do you view the appointment of Senior Secretary Lee Hae-min as one of them?

[Shin Jang-sik] : For Senior Secretary Lee Hae-min, there is another dimension. Multiple motives are attached to a single move.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Why is it so complicated?

[Shin Jang-sik] : There is the response aspect, and she is also exceptionally good at her job.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : She is an expert in that field.

[Shin Jang-sik] : She is such an expert, so both aspects exist. But what worries me is Leader Kim Min-seok's moves.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Really?

[Shin Jang-sik] : Yes.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : How about the cabinet reshuffle? Did it go well?

[Shin Jang-sik] : The reshuffle is about speed and response. It showed an intent to move fast and that he responded. As for evaluations of each individual, we need to observe a bit more. For instance, I think appointing Lee Hae-min was a good decision, and creating the advisory post for Mega Project Secretary Lee Won-joo was also very well done. What I worried about most was who writes the Mega Project master plan? The drafting entity was ambiguous. If you request materials from the Ministry of Science and ICT, there are no produced documents. Who is making this? Having someone in charge is a positive step. However, the concern is—

[Kim Tae-hyun] : About Minister nominee Yong Hye-in?

[Shin Jang-sik] : No. Mega Project Secretary Lee Won-joo comes from a traditional bureaucratic background. But mega projects—

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Cannot be handled purely from a bureaucrat's perspective?

[Shin Jang-sik] : Cannot be solved by technology alone. It is a matter of social conflict. I am concerned about how that will be resolved. Also, while individual evaluations of former Minister Ahn Gyu-back may vary, it is regrettable that a civilian defense minister has disappeared. Historically, shouldn't we have pushed forward a bit more? Of course, I understand why it happened. There are such points. And regarding Yong Hye-in, I thought you were about to ask about that.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Yes. All political news articles are discussing whether Minister nominee Yong Hye-in will resign from her proportional representative seat or not.

[Shin Jang-sik] : Rather than having various concerns just because she is a young woman, I view it on one hand as an opportunity for challenge.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : A challenge?

[Shin Jang-sik] : Yes.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Isn't a minister post not meant to be a testing ground for challenges?

[Shin Jang-sik] : It is worth trying in our state affairs. We need ministers in their 30s. Previously, the record was Kim Doo-kwan at age 44. Now, the challenges of Lee So-young and Yong Hye-in are challenges worth taking. However, as to whether this will receive the intended positive response and evaluation from the public, there remains a bit of regret, so to speak.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Why is that?

[Shin Jang-sik] : Please stop asking further since I have said this much.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : People are curious. Does that mean you think she should resign from her proportional seat?

[Shin Jang-sik] : From a party perspective, there are reasons not to resign, but in truth, this issue has been tangled up from the institutional design itself. It became twisted starting from the so-called satellite proportional parties. To cut off the problem, a different approach to satellite proportional parties is needed in the next election. People naturally ask: isn't twice enough, are we going to do it a third time?

[Kim Tae-hyun] : But after doing it twice, she is now even becoming a minister.

[Shin Jang-sik] : I am speaking about the system itself.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Setting the system aside, she utilized the system very cleverly. Legally, she does not have to resign from her proportional seat. But criticisms of 'free-riding' are emerging, even from within the ruling camp.

[Shin Jang-sik] : The frame is what worries me the most. Because of that, attention focuses on those aspects rather than any positive significance, and that could affect the overall evaluation of the cabinet reshuffle. The presidential office faces a political dilemma. I hope they navigate it well.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : So should she resign from her proportional seat or not?

[Shin Jang-sik] : That is a matter for individual judgment.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Is that so?

[Shin Jang-sik] : Because she will bear all the political burdens herself, whatever choice she makes.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : It is also a burden for the president.

[Shin Jang-sik] : But I am genuinely worried about Leader Kim Min-seok.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : That is what you wanted to address. So the president responded.

[Shin Jang-sik] : He responded. But look, while the presidential office appointed Representative Lee Hae-min as senior secretary on August 30 to show a response—

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Yes.

[Shin Jang-sik] : Leader Kim Min-seok ostentatiously appointed Kim Yong-nam as standing vice chair of the Policy Committee on August 31.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : The three letters of Kim Yong-nam are a painful name for the Rebuilding Korea Party.

[Shin Jang-sik] : And on top of that, look at what he says—

[Kim Tae-hyun] : He became the standing vice chair of the Policy Committee?

[Shin Jang-sik] : He became the standing vice chair of the Policy Committee. He appointed him just like that. And then he asks us to designate someone to discuss grand integration. What is this? We have repeatedly asked to restore trust and clarify the principles of solidarity. There must be standards and principles. But without discussing standards and principles, just telling us to designate a person quickly raises doubts about whether they are sincere about solidarity and integration, or merely launching an 'integration offensive.'

[Kim Tae-hyun] : By 'integration offensive,' you mean that while outwardly calling for integration and solidarity, appointing former lawmaker Kim Yong-nam, who clashed most with the Rebuilding Korea Party, to a key post shows they are acting two-faced?

[Shin Jang-sik] : It continuously fuels suspicion.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Doubts about their sincerity?

[Shin Jang-sik] : In fact, when merger rumors surfaced, they reached out with their right hand and swiped it away with their left. Both sides were left with scars. Then a period of restoring trust is necessary. Even after breaking up in a romantic relationship, you should not suddenly send late-night KakaoTalk messages asking, "Are you awake?" just because you remembered them. One should strive to become a better person oneself.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : KakaoTalk at night.

[Shin Jang-sik] : You shouldn't do that. That is an offensive. Nothing more than an offensive. Does trust recover that way? No. You must keep your promises. The best partner is one who keeps promises.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : You mentioned trust-building measures should come first.

[Shin Jang-sik] : Yes.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Then from the Rebuilding Korea Party's standpoint, is removing Kim Yong-nam from the policy committee post one symbolic step? Does it start from there?

[Shin Jang-sik] : That is one symbolic incident. What we consider true trust-building measures is—

[Kim Tae-hyun] : So you mean start with the symbolic step?

[Shin Jang-sik] : No. What we consider trust-building measures and the principles and standards of solidarity is the declaration. During the presidential election, several parties including the Rebuilding Korea Party, along with the citizens in the plaza, co-authored a joint declaration. It consists of three areas: major social reform, prosecution reform, and political reform. They just need to implement this declaration. Keeping what was promised is the best way to restore trust.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Yes.

[Shin Jang-sik] : Instead of texting "Are you awake?" While the presidential office responded by appointing Representative Lee Hae-min as senior secretary, this side suddenly brings in Kim Yong-nam and launches a grand integration task force, while launching yet another task force.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Which task force?

[Shin Jang-sik] : Lawmaker Park Sun-won heads a task force saying they will clean up dual party memberships.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : You see that as targeting the Rebuilding Korea Party?

[Shin Jang-sik] : Of course. Because he kept saying that during the election process. But as a lawyer, you know that sorting out dual party memberships is legally impossible. So I say, then give us the Democratic Party's membership roster. We will check it and let you know. What other method is there? Isn't raising impossible demands just a political offensive? If the president showed a response, Leader Kim Min-seok should align with the president's response instead of falling out of step. It makes me wonder if he is going beyond being out of step and actively being contrary.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : At a recent Democratic Party workshop, Leader Kim Min-seok took the microphone and said, "Former leader Jung Chung-rae's line is incorrect. My moderate expansion line is correct."

[Shin Jang-sik] : Saying it cannot be compromised.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : He spoke along those lines. He keeps talking about moderate expansion. Do you think that trend contradicts his calls to merge with the Rebuilding Korea Party? Like saying, "You constantly talk about moderate expansion while asking us to merge; how can we believe that?"

[Shin Jang-sik] : I think moderate expansion is a choice a political party can make. The Democratic Party has talked about moving toward center-right since the leadership of Lee Jae-myung. The problem is, how far is this moderate expansion going, and under what principles and standards? Do they think bulking up in size is all that matters over core values? Just because you scoop a few buckets of water from someone else's well, does that make it your well? If they expand to the center even while dismantling the governing coalition, well, for the Rebuilding Korea Party, our space on the left expands and we feel a greater duty to work harder.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Yes.

[Shin Jang-sik] : However, if the goal is an LDP-style 1.5-party system where the Democratic Party completely monopolizes politics and marginalizes all other parties, we must ask again whether that is beneficial for Korean politics as a whole.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : In any case, you have doubts about Leader Kim Min-seok's sincerity. Supreme Council Member Choi Min-hee—for reference, we have a phone interview scheduled with her right after this—said recently, "If we do not merge with the Rebuilding Korea Party, the Democratic Party could lose 40 seats in the capital region in the next general election." Do you agree with this statement? Will they lose more, or is it not that severe?

[Shin Jang-sik] : Rather than making a raw prediction, I describe the last local election results as 'the average score went up, but core subjects were ruined.' The issue is not just winning 12 to 4 or failing to retake Seoul. The difference in the number of basic local government heads was very narrow. Was it 125 to 197, or 119 to 97? The difference was only about 20 seats.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Between the People Power Party and the Democratic Party?

[Shin Jang-sik] : Yes. Between the People Power Party and the Democratic Party. If you apply those voting results to the capital region, the Democratic Party is behind by double digits. That holds true regardless of whether the Rebuilding Korea Party fields candidates or not. That is why I say core subjects were ruined, referring to the number of basic local government heads.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Yes.

[Shin Jang-sik] : If so, what outcome will follow in the 2028 general election if the governing coalition is not solidified? It is not merely a matter of the Democratic Party losing seats; a massive stumbling block and trap could arise on the path toward a 5th democratic administration for the democratic-reform camp in 2030. Regarding Leader Kim Min-seok's approach, which I consider simply scooping a few buckets of water from someone else's well, I believe it is time to question whether we can win and reach a 5th democratic administration that way.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Excuse me, author Rhyu Si-min compared the situation to former President Yoon Suk Yeol's term, saying that President Lee Jae-myung dismantling the governing coalition is the most dangerous scenario. Do you agree with that statement?

[Shin Jang-sik] : Dismantling the governing coalition is not something that can be directly compared to the Yoon Suk Yeol administration.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Of course.

[Shin Jang-sik] : It is not comparable. I do not agree with comparing it directly to the Yoon Suk Yeol administration.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : In any case, dismantling the governing coalition is dangerous.

[Shin Jang-sik] : There were doubts asking, "Aren't they dismantling the governing coalition?" and President Lee initially responded to that. However, I cannot shake the thought that Leader Kim Min-seok is out of step.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Earlier you said he is going beyond being out of step and being contrary?

[Shin Jang-sik] : It could even look contrary. I will leave it at being out of step.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Understood. We will wrap up here. That was Leader Shin Jang-sik of the Rebuilding Korea Party. Thank you.

[Shin Jang-sik] : Thank you.

The copyright of this interview material belongs to SBS Radio.
When publishing the full text or citing quotes from the interview,
please specify the channel name and the exact program title as shown below.

[SBS Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show]


※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.