By Kang Hyun-kyung
President Lee Myung-bak was slow to designate chief state auditor Kim Hwang-sik for prime minister ― the nomination came approximately a month after the post was vacated.
The slow procedure sparked speculation over why it took so long for Lee to nominate someone for the crucial job.
Analysts said the search for a prime minister was a demanding task for several reasons.
One of the hurdles was the extremely high standards set by President Lee, they said.
Lee was reportedly looking for the total package ― a candidate with impeccable managerial skills, flawless ethics and an outstanding job performance.
Back in 2008, Rep. Chung Doo-un of the ruling Grand National Party, who was responsible for the search for the first prime minister of the Lee administration, admitted finding a perfect prime minister was almost an impossible mission.
“As it seems nearly impossible for the nation to have such a perfect candidate who can meet Lee’s expectations, I think we may have to consider those abroad for the prime minister job,” the outspoken lawmaker said.
Chung’s frustration came as then President-elect Lee kept turning down the shortlisted candidates proposed by Chung.
The demanding job was passed on to Yim Tae-hee, the presidential chief of staff.
He was faced with a fresh challenge ― the rejection of candidates due to hearings-phobia.
Kim Tae-ho, the former prime minister-nominee, withdrew from his nomination after he was found to have lied about his ties to a businessman who is in jail for bribing politicians to aid his business during the confirmation hearing.
Yim has reportedly met with several high-profile figures, who the presidential office staffers thought could fit the post, to ask if they would be interested in the number two position. None of them accepted his offer.
Some turned it down for fear of a tough confirmation hearing.
Lawmakers scrutinized the nominees’ personal lives, professional and family backgrounds, and tax and wealth records during the hearings.
Among other core qualifications, legislators focused more on ethics when questioning the prime minister- or Cabinet minister-designates. Their job credentials rarely caught their attention.
The vast majority of nominees were grilled, crushed and frustrated during hearings for allegations and accusations involving their tax records, wealth, military service and family background.
Rep. Lee Yong-sup of the main opposition Democratic Party, who had gone through four confirmation hearings for public office before, recalled enduring the questionings was tough. But he said it was a rite of passage.
Unlike Cabinet minister-nominees, a prime minister-designate has one more hurdle to pass ― a parliamentary vote on the nomination after the confirmation hearing.
In most cases, the vote results are subject to partisan politics.
This is a setback to potential candidates who have no previous experience in the political arena as they try to avoid being victimized by the vested interests of political parties.
Analysts said President Lee’s new slogan of fair society has also impeded the search for prime minister.
Lee called the fair society slogan the guiding light for the latter half of his presidency, in his Aug. 15 Liberation Day address.
Lee’s latest buzzwords are holding back his appointment of nominees.
In the past, Cabinet minister-nominees’ involvement in relatively minor illicit activities were often overlooked as Lee went ahead with appointing his picks, despite protests from opposition parties.
Lee’s slogan, however, makes it difficult for him to appoint his picks who were found to have been involved in illicit activities as it could hurt the second half of his presidency.