Kang Byung-won "Party Resolution to Oppose Han Duck-soo's Confirmation"... Sends Personal Letter to Fellow Lawmakers

Voices Within the Party Calling for 'Rejection' One Day Before the Plenary Session

Kang Byung-won, the Democratic Party of Korea's personnel hearing special committee secretary, is speaking while holding a press briefing material distributed by candidate Han Deok-soo's personnel hearing preparation team at the full meeting of the personnel hearing special committee for candidate Han held at the National Assembly on the 27th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] As the Democratic Party of Korea faces a vote on the confirmation of Prime Minister nominee Han Deok-su the next day, lawmaker Kang Byung-won reportedly sent a letter to party members expressing opposition to the confirmation.

Kang, the secretary of the Personnel Hearing Special Committee, wrote to fellow Democratic Party lawmakers on the 19th, stating, "We must establish opposition to the prime minister nominee's confirmation as our party's official stance," adding, "If we confirm candidate Han as prime minister, it will be obvious to the public that we have created a puppet prime minister who cannot offer any criticism of the president's unilateral actions."

The party leadership plans to hold a caucus before the plenary session on the 20th to finalize internal opinions on the confirmation vote, amid internal calls to adopt a party line opposing the confirmation.

Kang argued, "Opposing the prime minister's confirmation is not obstructionism. It is the opposition party's mission and responsibility to check the unilateral actions of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration," adding, "If the personnel meet the public's expectations, we will join hands and move forward together, not obstruct."