[Q&A] Han Deok-su "Will Do My Best at the Confirmation Hearing... Agree with the Responsibility Prime Minister System"

President-elect Yoon Nominates Han Deok-su as Prime Minister Candidate
"Economy and Geopolitical Conditions Are Very Serious"
"Will Respond to the Hearing with Sincerity"

Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, nominated as the first new Prime Minister of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, is delivering his remarks on the afternoon of the 3rd at the press conference hall of the Presidential Transition Committee in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Transition Committee Press Corps

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol has nominated former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo as the first Prime Minister of the new administration. The nominee, Han, said, "I feel honored but also very heavy and greatly responsible," adding, "I will sincerely participate in the confirmation hearing."

On the 3rd, at a press conference held at the transition office in Tongui-dong, Seoul, President-elect Yoon announced the prime ministerial appointment, saying, "Candidate Han is someone who has been recognized solely for his ability and expertise regardless of political factions and has held key government positions." President-elect Yoon stated, "The new government must lay the foundation for the re-leap of our economy amid a severe domestic and international environment and thoroughly prepare for the 'economic security era' where economy and security are united. Candidate Han is the right person to oversee and coordinate the cabinet and carry out government tasks based on his extensive experience spanning both public and private sectors."

Candidate Han served as the Director-General for Trade Negotiations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and as Presidential Economic Secretary under the Kim Dae-jung administration. Under the Roh Moo-hyun administration, he served as Minister for Government Policy Coordination, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Economy, and Prime Minister. He was also Ambassador to the United States during the Lee Myung-bak administration. As a career economist, he was appointed in both conservative and progressive governments.

Han expressed his thoughts, saying, "At a time when the domestic and international economic and geopolitical conditions surrounding the Republic of Korea are very severe, I feel honored but also very heavy and greatly responsible to bear the heavy burden of being nominated as Prime Minister."

Below is a Q&A with candidate Han.

-The Korean government has belatedly decided to join the CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership). Could you please comment on this?

▲The transition office is carefully reviewing such specific issues. It is a bit difficult for me to comment before the transition office completes its review. However, in principle, I view Korea’s economic integration with many overseas countries as mostly a desirable direction.

-You will be scrutinized in a political environment where the opposition holds the majority. Do you feel any burden regarding personnel screening or the vote on your appointment as Prime Minister?

▲I will do my best. I will respond sincerely to the confirmation hearing.

-Do you think there will be no issues regarding moral integrity in the confirmation hearing? Should the standards for morality in cabinet appointments be strengthened compared to the current government?

▲The evaluation of standards is ultimately the decision of the confirmation hearing committee.

-What do you think about establishing the Emerging Security Committee, which is also a pledge of President-elect Yoon?

▲The transition office will carefully review this. I believe a dedicated committee to timely and properly respond to the areas where economy and security are intertwined is necessary. In that process, we must always keep in mind supply chain issues. I also think consideration for socially vulnerable groups should be included.

-Former Financial Services Commission Chairman Lim Jong-ryong declined the Deputy Prime Minister position. Was there any disagreement with President-elect Yoon regarding cabinet appointments yesterday?

▲Candidate Lim Jong-ryong said he could not accept public office due to various personal reasons, so we excluded him from the candidates and proceeded with other considerations yesterday.

-You mentioned that expansionary fiscal policy is inevitable in the short term but risky in the mid-to-long term. President-elect Yoon initially said he would secure 50 trillion won for a supplementary budget for COVID-19. What debt ratio should be maintained from the perspective of fiscal soundness?

▲The level that guarantees fiscal soundness is still open for discussion. It is difficult to speak generally, but the important point is that fiscal soundness is crucial for external trust in the mid-to-long term. Therefore, countries are in the process of normalizing the expansionary financial policies they have pursued so far. Since fiscal policy is the last resort for national stability, we must always keep this in mind and consider how much to ease it in the short term.

-What conflicts in our society do you foresee?

▲Political confrontation can reduce the nation's total factor productivity, and unnecessary friction between labor and management is also problematic. Workers compete globally on how to achieve better labor-management relations, so we must always keep this in mind. As the President-elect has emphasized several times, integration and cooperation are tools to efficiently implement broad foreign and security policies.

-What do you think about the opinion that the President’s powers should be decentralized through a responsible Prime Minister system?

▲The responsible Prime Minister system, as the President-elect mentioned, is basically about shifting excessive power concentration from the Blue House to the cabinet and ministers, allowing them to independently pursue the tasks they want to implement and take responsibility for the results. We agree with this as it would make the operation of the executive branch more efficient.