Park names new police chief despite protests
By Kim Hyo-jin
Lee Cheol-seong
President Park Geun-hye appointed Lee Cheol-seong to head the National Policy Agency (NPA), Wednesday, despite objections from opposition parties over his alleged ethical lapses.
The appointment came after opposition parties refused to adopt an Assembly confirmation report on the nominee.
Lee has been faced with the allegation that he hid his position as a police officer and avoided disciplinary measures after causing a drunk-driving accident in 1993.
The opposition parties have called for Lee to step down after the allegation was raised during an Assembly confirmation hearing, Friday.
They refused to adopt the confirmation report on Lee, but Park pushed ahead with his appointment.
Cheong Wa Dae has underlined that Lee expressed his regret repeatedly and was pardoned in 1995 for his offense.
The opposition parties resisted immediately, requesting that Park apologize.
“We ask for the President’s apology for pushing for the appointment of a controversial nominee. Lee should step down himself,” lawmakers of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) and the People’s Party said in a statement.
Calling it an “insult” to the public, MPK spokeswoman Lee Jae-jeong said, “It is reflection of the President’s self-righteousness. She pushed ahead with the appointment to justify her failed screening of the nominee.”
Lee replaces Kang Sin-myeong whose two-year term ended Tuesday.
He served as the presidential secretary for social security between September 2014 and December 2015. Since December, he had served as the NPA’s deputy commissioner general.