Yoon Administration Launches with Prime Minister Vacancy and Acting Ministers... Cooperation and Unity Falter from the Start

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is delivering a congratulatory speech at the Buddha's Birthday ceremony marking the year 2566 (2022) of the Buddhist calendar, held at Jogyesa Temple in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 8th. Photo by the Transition Team Press Corps

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Although the Yoon Seok-yeol administration is set to launch on the 10th, it is expected to start without filling even half of the ministerial posts, including the Prime Minister, amid a strong standoff between the ruling and opposition parties.

According to Yoon's transition team on the 8th, if the National Assembly does not approve Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo by Yoon's inauguration day on the 10th, they are considering minimizing administrative gaps by appointing Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choo Kyung-ho, who has passed the confirmation hearing, as acting Prime Minister.

Although the Democratic Party of Korea appears to be linking the approval of nominee Han with the withdrawal of other ministerial nominees such as Jeong Ho-young for Minister of Health and Welfare and Han Dong-hoon for Minister of Justice, Yoon is interpreted as determined to break through this head-on to prevent a lame-duck government.

Accordingly, while Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum awaits the National Assembly's approval of Han Duck-soo, there is also speculation that he may recommend not only the Deputy Prime Minister but also some ministerial appointments.

Furthermore, Yoon has requested the National Assembly to resend confirmation reports by the 9th for six nominees: Jeong Ho-young, Park Bo-gyun, Won Hee-ryong, Lee Sang-min, Park Jin, and Lee Jong-seop. If the reports are not adopted by the 9th, appointments are expected to proceed on the 10th.

In particular, political circles suggest that at the first Cabinet meeting on the 17th after Yoon's inauguration, the acting Prime Minister may exercise the authority to recommend appointments for some ministers.

Moreover, due to delays in confirmation hearings caused by the standoff between the ruling and opposition parties, if the National Assembly delays adopting confirmation reports for ministries such as the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (scheduled for the 9th), Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and Ministry of SMEs and Startups (scheduled for the 11th), and Ministry of Unification (scheduled for the 12th), these ministries are expected to be temporarily managed by deputy ministers acting as ministers.

This situation raises concerns that not only the cooperation and unity emphasized by both parties during the last presidential election will fade, but also that responses to domestic and international issues such as COVID-19 economic recovery, global inflation, and North Korean provocations may be compromised.

This is a replay of the disputes between the ruling and opposition parties over the appointment of the Prime Minister at the beginning of past administrations. After the inauguration of the Kim Dae-jung administration, it took six months to appoint Kim Jong-pil as Prime Minister due to opposition from the then-opposition party, and the confirmation of Lee Nak-yeon as Prime Minister during the Moon Jae-in administration took three weeks after the government was launched.