Lee says now is time for PM to 'take on different role' as PM seeks return to Democratic Party for leadership contest Prime Minister Kim Min-seok (from left), Reps. Jung Chung-rae and Song Young-gil (Yonhap) A power struggle over the ruling Democratic Party's leadership appears likely to unfold, with Prime Minister Kim Min-seok hinting at a major role within the party as lawmakers split over the June local election results.Among those considered a contender against current chair Rep. Jung Chung-rae in the primary, expected to be held in mid-August, is Kim Min-seok, who offered to step down as prime minister Sunday and is seeking to return to the party as a four-term lawmaker.Announcing his resignation offer to President Lee Jae Myung in an X post Sunday, Kim said returning to the party and making it competent enough to align with the Lee administration's policy initiatives would be his "new mission."Kim's post signaled his bid for the party chairship, and he said on X that the election outcome had triggered "demands for the ruling Democratic Party to keep itself awake, stay alert and take on reforms."President Lee Jae Myung on Monday appeared to endorse Kim, saying it was time for him to take on a new role following his achievements as prime minister over the past year."(Kim) did such a great job, and I wonder if there has ever been another Cabinet that has yielded so many achievements in such a short period. But it now seems more appropriate for him to take on a different role," Lee said at a news conference in Cheong Wa Dae.Meanwhile, the pressure is mounting on Jung. Under the four-term lawmaker's leadership, the party conceded key battlegrounds in Wednesday's election, including Seoul, Daegu and South Gyeongsang Province, although it won 12 out of 16 municipalities and nine out of 14 parliamentary by-elections.Jung assessed the election outcome as "a big win" for the Democratic Party at a press conference Thursday, in contrast to Kim's remarks.Rep. Lee Un-ju, a Democratic Party supreme council member who is often at odds with Jung, has also expressed her intention to resign from the party's decision-making body. Her term was set to end in August.In a Facebook post on Monday, Lee said the election outcome, which showed a conservative tilt among the younger generation and voters in the Greater Seoul area, "must be taken seriously" by the ruling bloc."Regardless of the election outcome, I will humbly accept the warnings and rebuke from the people," she wrote.Rep. Song Young-gil, who began his sixth term after winning a by-election Wednesday, is also rumored to be considering a bid for the party chairship.He said Sunday that voters had "passed judgment on the Democratic Party," while describing the candidate selection process for the recent major election as "opaque."The remarks by the liberal heavyweight drew criticism from pro-Jung lawmakers.Rep. Yoon Joon-byeong of the Democratic Party said on Facebook on Monday that he "felt uncomfortable" seeing Song as one of the leadership contenders, citing his "damaging acts against the party."This echoed Rep. Lee Sung-yoon's remarks Sunday, in which he described Song's proposal to embrace estranged independent North Jeolla Province candidate Kim Kwan-young as "a damaging act," while calling on Song to apologize to party members.