Parliament's move could be catalyst for bipartisanship
The National Assembly confirmed Prime Minister-nominee Han Duck-soo at its plenary session Friday. The approval came 47 days after President Yoon Suk-yeol nominated Han and 10 days after the Yoon administration took office. It is belated but welcome that the new administration has ended makeshift operations and now has a formal Cabinet.
"We've decided to approve Prime Minister Han not because he is qualified for the post, but because we do not have the intention of obstructing the new government's start," said Rep. Park Hong-keun, the floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). In response, Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, the floor leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), also said, "Now that the DPK favorably responded to our appeal with the approval, we will also seek to conduct a politics of cooperation."
It was the first time that the rival parties had taken substantive steps toward cooperation and harmony since the launch of the new administration. We, too, hope the prime minister's confirmation will lay the foundation for the politics of interparty cooperation. Initially, the main opposition party had been in favor of disapproving of Han. It later changed its mind based on the political calculation that the party could face a strong backlash if it were to oppose for the sake of opposition itself before the June 1 local elections.
It was right for the majority party to shift from conflict and confrontation to compromise and cooperation. Now that the DPK has shown it can cooperate, Yoon had better withdraw his nominee for the health and welfare minister, Chung Ho-young, who has stirred up controversy due to various scandals, including the transfer admissions of his two children to Kyungpook National University Medical School when he served as the university hospital's director and president. If Yoon sticks to Chung so as to indulge in the smugness of winning, voters will turn their backs on the ruling camp.
The confirmation hearing of the prime minister revealed that there are many legitimate problems with his candidacy. However, the DPK's voters supported his approval because they wanted to let the new administration tackle multiple crises at home and abroad effectively, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, global inflation and renewed North Korean military threats, and such tasks require a prime minister. "After the confirmation procedure ends, I will ceaselessly talk, persuade and communicate with critics and opponents until my heels wear out," Han said. That should not end in vain.
The National Assembly confirmed Prime Minister-nominee Han Duck-soo at its plenary session Friday. The approval came 47 days after President Yoon Suk-yeol nominated Han and 10 days after the Yoon administration took office. It is belated but welcome that the new administration has ended makeshift operations and now has a formal Cabinet.
"We've decided to approve Prime Minister Han not because he is qualified for the post, but because we do not have the intention of obstructing the new government's start," said Rep. Park Hong-keun, the floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). In response, Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, the floor leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), also said, "Now that the DPK favorably responded to our appeal with the approval, we will also seek to conduct a politics of cooperation."
It was the first time that the rival parties had taken substantive steps toward cooperation and harmony since the launch of the new administration. We, too, hope the prime minister's confirmation will lay the foundation for the politics of interparty cooperation. Initially, the main opposition party had been in favor of disapproving of Han. It later changed its mind based on the political calculation that the party could face a strong backlash if it were to oppose for the sake of opposition itself before the June 1 local elections.
It was right for the majority party to shift from conflict and confrontation to compromise and cooperation. Now that the DPK has shown it can cooperate, Yoon had better withdraw his nominee for the health and welfare minister, Chung Ho-young, who has stirred up controversy due to various scandals, including the transfer admissions of his two children to Kyungpook National University Medical School when he served as the university hospital's director and president. If Yoon sticks to Chung so as to indulge in the smugness of winning, voters will turn their backs on the ruling camp.
The confirmation hearing of the prime minister revealed that there are many legitimate problems with his candidacy. However, the DPK's voters supported his approval because they wanted to let the new administration tackle multiple crises at home and abroad effectively, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, global inflation and renewed North Korean military threats, and such tasks require a prime minister. "After the confirmation procedure ends, I will ceaselessly talk, persuade and communicate with critics and opponents until my heels wear out," Han said. That should not end in vain.
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