Lawmakers should scrutinize nominee at hearing
President Park Geun-hye has nominated former journalist Moon Chang-keuk as prime minister in what appears to be a surprise appointment. Park also named Ambassador to Japan Lee Byung-kee to head the National Intelligence Service.
Presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook described Moon as an "ex-journalist with firm conviction and integrity'' who can properly push state affairs, including the reform of officialdom. The spokesman also credited the nominee with having made efforts to fix evil practices by offering reasonable alternatives with a cool-headed sense of criticism while working as a journalist for more than 35 years.
True, it's unusual that a former journalist has been tapped as prime minister, given that the nation's second-most powerful position has been filled mostly by bureaucrats, academics, lawyers and politicians. Moon would be the first former reporter to take on the premiership if his appointment is approved at a confirmation hearing at the National Assembly.
While reactions are mixed about Moon's nomination, President Park can be praised for picking a figure from the Chungcheong provinces, considering the criticism that her personnel appointments have been biased regionally. It's also encouraging that President Park has shown indications of change in her appointment style by not relying on her "notebook" in choosing the nominee this time around.
But it's also true that Park's surprise pick has aroused concern. To begin with, it's questionable whether Moon, who has no political or administrative experience, is capable of taking the lead in reforming the bureaucracy in the wake of the Sewol ferry disaster. Specifically, some critics reacted negatively to the possibility that Moon will become an empowered prime minister who has greater power and responsibility, noting that President Park won't give up on her governing style of involving herself in every detail of state affairs and giving instructions.
Moon's ideological orientation ― "extremely conservative'' said an opposition spokeswoman ― portends tough scrutiny of him at the hearing. The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) raised doubts about his qualifications as prime minister, taking issue with his newspaper columns written largely in favor of conservatives.
It may be true that nominating a conservative hard-liner runs counter to the widespread call for national integration at a time when the government needs to activate communication with the opposition to remodel the country following the ferry calamity.
Moon's nomination is also seen as President Park's attempt to break through the barrier of hearings by nominating a former journalist who is unlikely to have wealth or other problems, two weeks after Ahn Dae-hee, her recent choice for prime minister, withdrew his nomination.
Despite all the controversy over the latest nomination, the most important thing is to verify if Moon is strong-minded enough to talk to the nation's first female head of state straightforwardly. It's also important that he can be up to the task of enhancing safety standards and uprooting ill practices and accumulated evils that were evident in the Sewol tragedy
Lawmakers should make thorough preparations for the hearing to verify if the nominee has the caliber to be prime minister.
President Park Geun-hye has nominated former journalist Moon Chang-keuk as prime minister in what appears to be a surprise appointment. Park also named Ambassador to Japan Lee Byung-kee to head the National Intelligence Service.
Presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook described Moon as an "ex-journalist with firm conviction and integrity'' who can properly push state affairs, including the reform of officialdom. The spokesman also credited the nominee with having made efforts to fix evil practices by offering reasonable alternatives with a cool-headed sense of criticism while working as a journalist for more than 35 years.
True, it's unusual that a former journalist has been tapped as prime minister, given that the nation's second-most powerful position has been filled mostly by bureaucrats, academics, lawyers and politicians. Moon would be the first former reporter to take on the premiership if his appointment is approved at a confirmation hearing at the National Assembly.
While reactions are mixed about Moon's nomination, President Park can be praised for picking a figure from the Chungcheong provinces, considering the criticism that her personnel appointments have been biased regionally. It's also encouraging that President Park has shown indications of change in her appointment style by not relying on her "notebook" in choosing the nominee this time around.
But it's also true that Park's surprise pick has aroused concern. To begin with, it's questionable whether Moon, who has no political or administrative experience, is capable of taking the lead in reforming the bureaucracy in the wake of the Sewol ferry disaster. Specifically, some critics reacted negatively to the possibility that Moon will become an empowered prime minister who has greater power and responsibility, noting that President Park won't give up on her governing style of involving herself in every detail of state affairs and giving instructions.
Moon's ideological orientation ― "extremely conservative'' said an opposition spokeswoman ― portends tough scrutiny of him at the hearing. The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) raised doubts about his qualifications as prime minister, taking issue with his newspaper columns written largely in favor of conservatives.
It may be true that nominating a conservative hard-liner runs counter to the widespread call for national integration at a time when the government needs to activate communication with the opposition to remodel the country following the ferry calamity.
Moon's nomination is also seen as President Park's attempt to break through the barrier of hearings by nominating a former journalist who is unlikely to have wealth or other problems, two weeks after Ahn Dae-hee, her recent choice for prime minister, withdrew his nomination.
Despite all the controversy over the latest nomination, the most important thing is to verify if Moon is strong-minded enough to talk to the nation's first female head of state straightforwardly. It's also important that he can be up to the task of enhancing safety standards and uprooting ill practices and accumulated evils that were evident in the Sewol tragedy
Lawmakers should make thorough preparations for the hearing to verify if the nominee has the caliber to be prime minister.
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