By Kang Seung-woo
President Park Geun-hye is struggling in her search for a new prime minister in the aftermath of premier designate Ahn Dae-hee's withdrawal, Wednesday. A sense of crisis has been gripping Cheong Wa Dae as another failure in the premier nomination is expected to further derail government operations.
Lawmakers are emerging as top candidates in that they can push ahead with the President's plan to reform the nation's bureaucracy.
Ahn stepped down amid growing criticism that he made a large amount of money in a very short time from his legal practice, allegedly by using his former status as a prosecutor and Supreme Court justice.
"The ball is again in the hands of Cheong Wa Dae. It will not be easy to appoint a new prime minister because expectations of morality have become much higher following Ahn's withdrawal," said political commentator Lee Kang-yun.
As Ahn withdrew due to ethical questions, Park is likely to carefully screen potential candidates in order to ensure that they get parliamentary approval at their confirmation hearing. The Saenuri Party is also expected to be involved in the selection.
The ruling party had recommended Reps. Kim Moo-sung and Choi Kyung-hwan, and Han Kwang-ok, the head of the Presidential Committee for National Cohesion, before the president tapped Ahn to replace Prime Minister Chung Hong-won last week.
Since her inauguration in February 2013, two premier nominees have withdrawn before a confirmation hearing due to ethical problems and one more failure is expected to put the Park government in a critical situation.
The President requires her new prime minister to take a leading role in ending the corruptive dealings of the administration's bureaucratic mafia, so a nominee's capability to carry out this will also be a vital yardstick in the selection process. This explains why the chances of picking a politician are higher this time.
"To eradicate the bureaucratic mafia is a high-level political action that will cause huge opposition from the privileged classes. In order to shield the President from resistance and proceed with the reform plan, a reform-minded politician will be the right pick," Kim Hyung-joon, a political professor at Myongji University, told Yonhap News.
In addition, politicians have a better chance of passing the National Assembly confirmation hearing because they have already been verified in elections.
Kim, who contributed to Park winning the 2012 presidential election after leading her campaign, and Choi, a close aide, are therefore seen as favored candidates.
Given that Han was a former presidential chief of staff under President Kim Dae-jung, he is believed to represent an image of national unity.
Along with them, former Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Moon-soo is re-emerging as a candidate.
Kim gained a good reputation during his eight-year tenure as governor, and also does not belong to any political faction. In addition, he is believed to be on good terms with the opposition parties.
However, it remains to be seen if he would take the post because he plans to run for president in 2017, and the premiership is not an attractive career option.
In Korea, the role of prime minister is largely ceremonial as power is centered on the president and the premier is often under pressure to quit in times of crisis to express the government's contrition.
President Park Geun-hye is struggling in her search for a new prime minister in the aftermath of premier designate Ahn Dae-hee's withdrawal, Wednesday. A sense of crisis has been gripping Cheong Wa Dae as another failure in the premier nomination is expected to further derail government operations.
Lawmakers are emerging as top candidates in that they can push ahead with the President's plan to reform the nation's bureaucracy.
Ahn stepped down amid growing criticism that he made a large amount of money in a very short time from his legal practice, allegedly by using his former status as a prosecutor and Supreme Court justice.
"The ball is again in the hands of Cheong Wa Dae. It will not be easy to appoint a new prime minister because expectations of morality have become much higher following Ahn's withdrawal," said political commentator Lee Kang-yun.
As Ahn withdrew due to ethical questions, Park is likely to carefully screen potential candidates in order to ensure that they get parliamentary approval at their confirmation hearing. The Saenuri Party is also expected to be involved in the selection.
The ruling party had recommended Reps. Kim Moo-sung and Choi Kyung-hwan, and Han Kwang-ok, the head of the Presidential Committee for National Cohesion, before the president tapped Ahn to replace Prime Minister Chung Hong-won last week.
Since her inauguration in February 2013, two premier nominees have withdrawn before a confirmation hearing due to ethical problems and one more failure is expected to put the Park government in a critical situation.
The President requires her new prime minister to take a leading role in ending the corruptive dealings of the administration's bureaucratic mafia, so a nominee's capability to carry out this will also be a vital yardstick in the selection process. This explains why the chances of picking a politician are higher this time.
"To eradicate the bureaucratic mafia is a high-level political action that will cause huge opposition from the privileged classes. In order to shield the President from resistance and proceed with the reform plan, a reform-minded politician will be the right pick," Kim Hyung-joon, a political professor at Myongji University, told Yonhap News.
In addition, politicians have a better chance of passing the National Assembly confirmation hearing because they have already been verified in elections.
Kim, who contributed to Park winning the 2012 presidential election after leading her campaign, and Choi, a close aide, are therefore seen as favored candidates.
Given that Han was a former presidential chief of staff under President Kim Dae-jung, he is believed to represent an image of national unity.
Along with them, former Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Moon-soo is re-emerging as a candidate.
Kim gained a good reputation during his eight-year tenure as governor, and also does not belong to any political faction. In addition, he is believed to be on good terms with the opposition parties.
However, it remains to be seen if he would take the post because he plans to run for president in 2017, and the premiership is not an attractive career option.
In Korea, the role of prime minister is largely ceremonial as power is centered on the president and the premier is often under pressure to quit in times of crisis to express the government's contrition.
![[INTERVIEW] Choi Min-sik, Lee Dong-hwi on creating Korean-style noir with 'Big Bet'](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/8b795a8f6b42492db4e8fdc47e9abd8d.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
