Minju, cautious views amid majority opposition
People Power Party "Hard to find better talent"
Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo is attending the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 3rd, responding to questions from lawmakers. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@
[Asia Economy reporters Hyunju Lee and Juni Park] Just hours before the National Assembly plenary session vote to approve Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo, President Yoon Suk-yeol and the Democratic Party of Korea continued their strong confrontation. The dispute appears to be over the order of resignation between the selection of nominee Han and the still unappointed Minister of Health and Welfare nominee Jeong Ho-young.
On the 20th, President Yoon, on his way to the Yongsan Presidential Office, told reporters, "Nominee Han was appointed from the beginning with cooperation in mind," adding, "I expect things to go well." When asked whether he would make a decision on nominee Jeong Ho-young’s position after the approval result of nominee Han, he replied, "Nominee Han served as economic secretary under President Kim Dae-jung and held positions such as Chief of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, and Prime Minister under President Roh Moo-hyun." This response effectively drew a line between nominee Han’s approval and nominee Jeong’s position, signaling a firm stance against withdrawing the appointment.
Initially, the Democratic Party leadership leaned toward rejection, but as opinions among party lawmakers diverged, they reportedly fell into deep consideration. Within the party, the majority opinion favors rejection in the plenary session, but a cautious view advocating cooperation with the new government in light of the upcoming local elections in June is gaining traction.
The party’s floor leadership expressed an unyielding stance regarding nominee Han’s approval at the election countermeasures committee meeting that day. Yoon Ho-jung, co-chair of the Emergency Response Committee, said in his opening remarks, "The president has trampled on the wishes of the people and the National Assembly with arrogance," and criticized nominee Han by saying, "The clear fact is that he is the most poorly self-managed among all inaugural prime minister nominees in past administrations."
The floor leadership held a closed-door meeting the previous night to discuss the approval but failed to reach a conclusion and passed the baton to the afternoon lawmakers’ meeting. A Democratic Party floor official explained, "The floor leadership’s conclusion is to decide at today’s lawmakers’ meeting," adding, "It is true that there is strong opposition to approval among lawmakers, but there is also public opinion that the opposition party needs to show cooperation with the new government, so the situation is complicated."
Opinions within the party are divided. Lawmaker Kang Byung-won circulated a message in the group chat among lawmakers the day before, stating, "We must establish opposition to the prime minister nominee’s approval as our party’s official position." Lawmaker Lee Sang-min also criticized in a KBS interview, "I judge that the negative mood within the party is strong," adding, "However, President Yoon Suk-yeol pushed through the appointment of Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon despite obvious opposition from the opposition party in just one day. So how can the approval of nominee Han proceed properly?"
However, there are also many opinions within the party that the appointment should be passed considering the centrist and independent voters ahead of the local elections. Lee Jae-myung, the general election countermeasures committee chairman running in the Incheon Gyeyang-eul by-election, expressed concern about rejection on CBS radio the day before. Four-term lawmaker Jeong Seong-ho said in a phone call that day regarding nominee Han’s appointment, "We should vote quickly," advocating for a free vote. He pointed out, "Those who argue for rejection have no idea how the grassroots public sentiment is flowing," adding, "The Democratic Party’s approval rating is steadily declining." Another Democratic Party lawmaker explained, "Many lawmakers seem to agree with the appointment vote," adding, "They are conscious of the voices of some party members who believe a strategic judgment is necessary because it could be seen as the opposition party ‘stalling.’"
The People Power Party said the Democratic Party should actively cooperate with the approval of Prime Minister Han. Members of the People Power Party on the special committee for the prime minister nominee’s confirmation hearing sent a message to Democratic Party lawmakers that day, saying, "At this point, it will not be easy for the Yoon Suk-yeol administration to find better talent," and "Even if they find another candidate, it is uncertain how much more time will be needed to go through another confirmation hearing and National Assembly approval process."
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