Instead of "Holding Back," Make a "Magnanimous Decision"
"Vote with Majority Consent of Lawmakers"
Yoon Ho-jung, Co-Chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Park Hong-geun, Floor Leader, held a press conference at the National Assembly on the 20th to express their position on the confirmation of Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] The Democratic Party of Korea decided on the 20th to approve the appointment consent bill for Prime Minister nominee Han Deok-su at the National Assembly plenary session as the party's official stance.
Prior to the plenary session, the Democratic Party held a party meeting and after 3 hours and 30 minutes of discussion, made this decision. During this process, the plenary session originally scheduled for 4 p.m. was postponed to 6 p.m.
Yoon Ho-jung, Co-Chairman of the Emergency Response Committee, held a press briefing immediately after the party meeting and stated, "The Democratic Party, through in-depth discussions at the party meeting, gathered the consensus of its members and decided to approve nominee Han."
Regarding the approval decision, he explained, "Considering the various domestic and international economic situations currently facing the Republic of Korea and the security tensions surrounding the Korean Peninsula, the position of Prime Minister cannot be left vacant for a long time. Also, we want to make it clear that our opposition party has no intention to recklessly obstruct or interfere with the new government’s launch. Despite our basic standards for public office, we decided to approve the consent bill as a grand decision."
However, he added, "Our support for the Prime Minister appointment consent bill does not mean that nominee Han is qualified. Through the confirmation hearing, the public has already confirmed that nominee Han falls short in ability, qualifications, and morality as a Prime Minister." He also noted, "In terms of ability, there has been no improvement since his tenure as Prime Minister 15 years ago."
Earlier, opinions within the party leaned toward rejecting the appointment consent bill, but considering concerns about cooperation with the new government and ruling party, as well as the upcoming local elections in June, the decision was made to approve nominee Han’s appointment.
Chairman Yoon said, "The Prime Minister appointment consent bill being processed within 10 days of the President’s inauguration is probably the fastest processing. However, this does not absolve the Yoon Seok-youl administration of its personnel fiasco. There are still ministers not yet appointed, and for those already appointed but deemed unfit as ministers, we will continuously raise issues and call for President Yoon Seok-youl’s grand decision."
Floor Leader Park Hong-geun also emphasized, "The Democratic Party will use this opportunity to establish a system through the 'Han Deok-su Prevention Act' (Public Officials Ethics Act amendment) to prevent unqualified individuals from being appointed to high-ranking public offices such as Prime Minister again. The government should humbly accept public opinion on this first cabinet personnel disaster and reflect on it to do its best for the people’s lives."
Following this, Shin Hyun-young, spokesperson for the Emergency Response Committee, told reporters, "The vote was a majority, but the exact numbers cannot be disclosed. Although there were various opinions, the consensus was that it could not be delayed, so the approval was decided as the party’s official stance."
After the Democratic Party’s official stance was decided, the People Power Party expressed a welcoming attitude. Kwon Seong-dong, Floor Leader of the People Power Party, said at the National Assembly, "I am very glad that the Democratic Party made a reasonable decision considering various circumstances, and I hope this spirit of cooperation will continue to be demonstrated in the future operation of the National Assembly."
Heo Eun-ah, spokesperson for the People Power Party Central Election Committee, also commented, "We welcome the Democratic Party’s decision at the party meeting to approve nominee Han’s appointment bill as the party’s official stance. Since the plenary session approval is now scheduled, we are glad that the wheels of state administration can run smoothly. Furthermore, the People Power Party will strive to continue the spirit of cooperation between the ruling and opposition parties throughout the Yoon Seok-youl administration."
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