Bruised PM nominee endorsed

Ruling Saenuri Party members shake hands during a plenary session for a confirmation vote on Prime Minister-nominee Lee Wan-koo at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. They include, from left, party floor leader Yoo Seong-min, seated, Lee Jae-oh, standing, party chairman Kim Moo-sung and Suh Chung-won, seated. / Yonhap

President Park may reshuffle Cabinet, secretaries soon

By Yi Whan-woo

The National Assembly endorsed Prime Minister nominee Lee Wan-koo at a plenary session, Monday, in a vote split along party lines.

Lee will take office in a ceremony at Cheong Wa Dae set for today where President Park Geun-hye will make his appointment official.

Park is expected to reshuffle her Cabinet members as well as presidential secretaries, including unification and maritime ministers, today at the earliest.

The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD), however, is speculating that Lee still faces challenges to his leadership in the wake of a series of revelations about his moral lapses.

A total of 281 of 295 legislators showed up to vote for the confirmation of Lee, a former ruling Saenuri Party floor leader.

One hundred and forty-eight lawmakers voted in support of Lee. Endorsement of a prime minister requires a simple majority.

Those against Lee numbered 128, while the remaining five were declared invalid.

The NPAD joined the Saenuri Party for the vote despite earlier speculation that they would boycott the session.

Among the 130 NPAD lawmakers, 124 showed up.

Party Chairman Moon Jae-in still warned that the President and the Saenuri Party would “pay a price for picking and supporting Lee.”

“It’s regretful that the NPAD failed to meet public sentiment today,” he said. He referred to the growing criticism over Lee during the confirmation hearings last week.

Lee faced criticism for alleged speculative land deals and his attempt to influence media executives to stop junior reporters filing negative stories about him.

The NPAD move came despite the two rival parties being at odds over the vote, although they agreed to postpone the plenary session from last Thursday to Monday.

“It’s noteworthy that the opposition lawmakers took part in the plenary session,” said Bae Jong-chan, a director at political pollster Research and Research. “However, it’s politically-motivated and the NPAD obviously considered the possible negative sentiment among people in the Chungcheong provinces if its members vetoed Lee ahead of the parliamentary elections next year.”

Lee is from South Chungeong Province which has been a major swing region in previous general elections.

The Saenuri Party had threatened it would railroad the confirmation should the opposition party boycott the parliamentary vote.

The ruling party has 158 seats in the 295-member parliament.

Four Saenuri Party lawmakers missed the vote, including those detained by the prosecution on corruption charges.

The remaining 154 legislators included three Cabinet members — Strategy and Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Kyoung-hwan; Education Minister and Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs Hwang Woo-yea; and Minister of Gender Equality and Family Kim Hee-jung.

Lee was the President’s third pick for the country’s No. 2 job to replace Chung Hong-won who offered to resign on April 27, 2014.

Chung made his announcement holding himself responsible for the Sewol ferry disaster on April 16 last year. Chung remained at his post following Park’s bungled efforts in appointment of his successor.

Chung held his farewell ceremony, Monday.