SEOUL, June 30 (AJP) -Technocrat and SMEs Minister Han Seong-sook cleared a key parliamentary hurdle Tuesday to become South Korea's second female prime minister, as the ruling party pushed ahead with her confirmation despite a boycott by the main opposition.
The National Assembly's special committee on Han's confirmation adopted a report endorsing President Lee Jae Myung's nominee, with support from lawmakers largely from the ruling Democratic Party (DP).
The report said a majority of committee members found Han qualified for office, while also recording dissenting opinions that deemed her unfit.
Lawmakers from the conservative People Power Party (PPP) boycotted the meeting in protest of the ruling party's decision to press ahead with the confirmation process.
The DP planned to bring Han's confirmation motion to a vote during a plenary session later Tuesday. With the ruling party and its allies holding a parliamentary majority, the motion was widely expected to pass without opposition support.
Under South Korean law, a prime ministerial nominee must win the support of a majority of lawmakers present at a plenary session, provided more than half of all National Assembly members are in attendance.
Once confirmed, Han would become the first woman to serve as South Korea's prime minister in two decades and only the second in the country's history, following former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook.
Han, 59, began her career as a magazine journalist before moving into the technology sector. She joined internet giant Naver, where she rose to chief executive officer and was credited with expanding the company's mobile and artificial intelligence businesses. She was recruited as the first SMEs and Startups minister by Lee Jae Myung administration.
Opposition lawmakers questioned her over an illegally expanded structure on a property she owns in central Seoul, alleging she failed to remedy the violation until after her nomination.
The PPP also challenged her real estate holdings and raised concerns over an alleged leak of personal information, arguing that the controversies called into question her suitability for the country's second-highest office. Han has denied any wrongdoing and defended her actions throughout the confirmation hearings.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.
