Prime Minister Kim Bu-gyeom Appointment Approval Passed Unilaterally
Im Hye-suk and Noh Hyung-wook Also Adopted Forcefully
Opposition: "Democratic Party Remains the Same," "People Passing"
Speaker of the National Assembly Park Byeong-seok is passing the nomination approval bill for Prime Minister candidate Kim Boo-kyum at the plenary session held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 13th. The People Power Party abstained from voting that day. / Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] The Democratic Party of Korea unilaterally approved the nomination of Prime Minister candidate Kim Boo-kyum on the 13th. The Democratic Party also unilaterally adopted the hearing reports for Science and ICT Minister candidate Im Hye-sook and Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister candidate Noh Hyung-wook, both of whom the opposition parties deemed 'unqualified.' The People Power Party strongly opposed this, calling it a 'tyranny rejecting the opposition,' making a political deadlock inevitable for the time being.
On the same day, the National Assembly held a plenary session and passed the nomination approval for candidate Kim. With the People Power Party absent from the vote, out of 176 members present, 168 voted in favor, 5 against, 1 abstained, and 2 votes were invalid. This came 27 days after President Moon Jae-in nominated Kim on the 16th of last month.
Earlier, Speaker Park Byeong-seok, after the failure of bipartisan agreement and the lack of adoption of Kim's hearing report in the Personnel Hearing Special Committee, submitted the approval bill to the plenary session by his authority.
The People Power Party, which had linked the approval of the Prime Minister candidate with the fate of three minister candidates, boycotted the vote in protest of the forced appointment of candidates Im and Noh, despite the voluntary resignation of Minister of Oceans and Fisheries candidate Park Jun-young.
This is the first time that the Speaker has submitted the nomination approval bill by authority without the adoption of the Prime Minister candidate's hearing report, and the opposition party has abstained from the approval vote. Since the approval was effectively processed solely by the ruling party, it is expected that the political situation will freeze for the time being.
The Democratic Party expressed welcome for the passage of the approval bill. Floor Spokesperson Shin Hyun-young said in a statement, "Despite the opposition party's obstinacy, we did everything possible to negotiate," criticizing, "We urged discussions nine times, but the People Power Party's response was always 'unconditional opposition' and 'unconditional resistance.'"
She added, "Now is the time to talk about the future," emphasizing, "Candidate Kim must work hard to fill the government vacuum as soon as possible and restore daily life to the people."
People Power Party condemns the forced passage of the Prime Minister nominee appointment consent bill. Photo by Yonhap News
On the other hand, the People Power Party immediately opposed, saying they would "face the judgment of the people." Floor Spokesperson Kang Min-guk stated in a commentary, "The Democratic Party said the Prime Minister's approval should be done to minimize the government vacuum during the difficult COVID-19 situation," but pointed out, "The responsibility for the government vacuum lies with the Blue House, which caused former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun to abandon government affairs to run for president."
He continued, "The outcome of a 'people-passing' Prime Minister is predetermined," criticizing, "He will be a Prime Minister who bows deeply to the president above and loses authority and dignity below."
Immediately after the plenary session ended, the Democratic Party held full meetings of the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee and the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee and processed the hearing reports for candidates Im and Noh respectively. The opposition party was absent.
In response, People Power Party spokesperson Bae Jun-young issued a verbal statement, saying, "The directive vote operation by the Speaker's authority was completed in a well-coordinated manner," and criticized, "Both candidates are unqualified to lead their ministries, and the people do not want these appointments. The Blue House and the Democratic Party remain the same after all."
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