PM nominee's confirmation hearing ends without decision amid DPK's boycott

Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo / Yonhap

Lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the minor opposition Justice Party boycotted the confirmation hearing for Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo for the second day Tuesday, citing Han's failure to submit information they had requested.

Although a legal deadline for the National Assembly to complete Han's confirmation hearing passed without a decision, the DPK and the Justice Party asked the Assembly to reschedule a date for the hearing.

Tuesday's hearing was adjourned about 30 minutes after it started.

Rep. Sung Il-jong of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) expressed regret that the hearing ended without approval, while asking a special committee to set a new date for the hearing.

The deadline was set in line with a law, which requires the vetting process to be finished within 20 days after a request for a hearing is submitted to the Assembly. Han's hearing was submitted to the Assembly, April 7.

The DPK and the Justice Party had demanded postponement of the two-day confirmation hearing, saying that it was useless to vet Han without the essential data.

In the hearing, Han, who was nominated as the first prime minister of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's incoming government, was expected to be grilled about alleged conflicts of interest related to his home rental in the 1990s and also the hefty salary he received as an adviser to law firm Kim & Chang.

In Korea, the prime minister is the only Cabinet post that requires Assembly approval. (Yonhap)