Former Assembly speaker named Prime Minister

Prime Minister nominee Chung Sye-kyun speaks at the National Assembly, Tuesday. Yonhap

By Do Je-hae

President Moon Jae-in has picked ruling party heavyweight Chung Sye-kyun to replace Lee Nak-yon as prime minister.

Chung previously served as industry minister during the 2003-08 Roh Moo-hyun administration and has served six terms at the National Assembly before building up extensive corporate experience. He served as National Assembly speaker from June 2016 to May 2018. These combined experiences make him a timely choice to lead the Cabinet, the President said Monday.

Moon made a rare appearance at Cheong Wa Dae's media center and personally explained the reason for his choice for the new PM after weeks of speculation about the replacement for Prime Minister Lee. The popular prime minister is expected to return to politics ahead of the April 2020 general elections.

“I want to explain directly to the people about the nomination for the next prime minister,” Moon said. “The government has so far exerted special efforts to get rid of outdated systems in our society and build an economy that is innovative, inclusive and equitable, in our pursuit of a country where 'everyone lives well. For this, the most important thing is establishing national unity and producing outcomes in the economy that the people can actually experience. We believe Chung is the right person to meet the needs of our times.”

Moon underlined Chung's qualifications, particularly his experience in both the government, National Assembly and the corporate sector. “Above all, he is an economic expert. The former corporate executive served as an industry minister and opened an era of $300 billion in exports. He is also a six-term lawmaker rich in experience and political leadership, as attested by his service as party leader and Assembly speaker.

If appointed after a National Assembly hearing, Chung will become the first Assembly leader to become PM. The opposition has raised concerns about Chung's nomination, saying that it goes against the spirit of separation of powers to name someone who formerly headed the legislative branch to the No.2 position in the administrative branch. But Moon refuted such concerns, saying that Chung's experience in leading the Assembly through various confrontations can be a plus factor in the current political environment.

“There was some hesitation about asking inviting a former Assembly leader to become the prime minister. But Chung is someone who has always placed dialogue and compromise at the forefront of his politics. At a time of severe confrontation and division, it is more important to consider the capacity for respecting and cooperating with the opposition and working toward the unity and harmony of the people.”

President Moon and Chung Sye-kyun, prime minister nominee Yonhap

During a press conference following the announcement, the prime minister nominee said he felt a grave sense of responsibility to revive the economy and facilitate communication with the people. “The nation is facing difficulties domestically and internationally. I will do my utmost for economic progress and social unity,” Chung said. “There were some concerns about my background as the former Assembly leader. I will do all I can to facilitate communication with the opposition and promote dialogue between the Assembly and the government. Ultimately, I will do my best to build a government that is useful for the people.”

He said he was aware of the concerns about his background as the Assembly speaker. “Despite such concerns, I accepted the nomination because I felt it was more important to do something for the country.” Chung had been largely seen as a strong contender to run in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, in the general election next year.

There is an element of surprise in Chung's nomination because Cheong Wa Dae had been known to initially consider Rep. Kim Jin-pyo, a former finance minister, as Lee's replacement. But the consideration was discarded due to rising negative sentiment from civic groups against his nomination, particularly his background in suspending a bill for taxation of religious leaders and calling for a corporate income tax reduction.

Moon is also expected to name some replacements in his Cabinet in the coming weeks to fill in vacancies by ministers who will quit their posts to run in the upcoming elections.