President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol is arriving at the Presidential Transition Committee office in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 6th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] Amid opposition from the Democratic Party of Korea to the National Assembly’s approval of Prime Minister nominee Han Deok-soo, the incoming President Yoon Seok-yeol’s camp has made it clear that they intend to push through head-on.
A key official from President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol’s camp told reporters on the 6th, "Han Deok-soo is the only prime minister for the Yoon Seok-yeol administration," adding, "If the National Assembly does not approve, we will proceed without a prime minister."
It is also known that President-elect Yoon personally called nominee Han Deok-soo the previous day, saying, "Thank you for your efforts. Han Deok-soo is the only prime minister for the Yoon Seok-yeol administration," and conveyed the intention that "If the Democratic Party does not approve for political reasons to obstruct our administration, we will proceed without a prime minister. We will not appoint a prime minister."
The official said, "The acting prime minister will naturally be the Deputy Prime Minister (for Economy)," and added, "The Minister of Education position is vacant, but we will not cohabit with this administration. There are vice ministers, agency heads, bureau chiefs, and secretaries." He continued, "The Vice Minister of Education will carry out personnel appointments from May 10 and strongly push forward education reform," emphasizing, "There will be no uncomfortable cohabitation or gaps in education administration."
The camp of President-elect Yoon and the People Power Party are at odds with the Democratic Party over the new government’s cabinet appointments. Both sides are determined not to concede political leadership early in the administration.
Members of the People Power Party’s Special Committee for the Prime Minister Nominee’s Confirmation Hearing issued a statement that day, saying, "We ask the Democratic Party to cooperate so that the Yoon Seok-yeol government can start with the blessing of the people," and emphasized, "Nominee Han Deok-soo is the most qualified candidate, having served in key government positions across the administrations of Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, and Lee Myung-bak, recognized solely for his ability and expertise regardless of political faction."
Defense of Justice Minister nominee Han Dong-hoon is also active. Representative Lee Jun-seok appeared on CBS Radio that day and said, "I looked through the 'papers' that Han Dong-hoon’s daughter supposedly wrote, and they were usually about three pages," adding, "These are not papers but rather school assignments published in a journal." This was a rebuttal to some media reports claiming "Han’s daughter wrote five papers and four e-books over two months."
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