Assembly approves Prime Minister nominee Chung Un-chan

SEOUL, Sept. 28 (Yonhap) -- The National Assembly approved Monday the appointment of Chung Un-chan as prime minister, overriding protest by opposition parties at his personal irregularities.

Chung was approved 164 to nine, with three abstentions and one invalid vote.
The 63-year-old former president of Seoul National University (SNU) was nominated
as second prime minister under the Lee Myung-bak government in the September
shakeup that replaced six ministers.
The endorsement was unilateral, as the main opposition Democratic Party (DP)
refused to issue a confirmation report on Chung, calling him unfit given a slew
of alleged irregularities ranging from draft dodging to acceptance of money from
a businessman.
The ruling Grand National Party (GNP) holds a majority of 167 seats in the
299-member National Assembly, while the DP has 83.
The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae welcomed the parliament's approval of
Chung, saying he is best fit to help fight many challenges confronting the
country.
"The government is relieved that the bill on his appointment was passed, although
there were conflicts in the process," Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Park Sun-kyoo said
in a released statement.
"We believe the new prime minister will be able to improve the status of the
nation while also looking after the livelihood of our citizens and playing a
great role in solving issues facing the government," he added.
As the voting began, lawmakers of the DP and the minority Liberty Forward Party
(LFP), which has 17 lawmakers, walked out of the plenary chamber to show their
opposition.
During the two-day confirmation hearing last week, the opposition dug into
Chung's personal and financial records, raising suspicions over why he didn't
serve in the military, his son's dual citizenship in South Korea and the U.S.,
evasion of income tax, and acceptance of money from a businessman.
Members of the DP and LFP filed a petition with the prosecution on Monday,
accusing him of tax evasion, accepting bribes, and illegally serving as a
corporate adviser while at SNU. The DP previously had wooed Chung to run for
president on its ticket.
The DP also took issue with Chung's remarks that an opposition-backed plan to
relocate nine ministries and four government agencies to Sejong City, a proposed
new administrative town about 160km south of Seoul, needed revision.
The project to build Sejong City was first conceived in 2002 as a presidential
campaign promise of then ruling DP candidate Roh Moo-hyun. Explosive support from
Chungcheong voters swayed the result of a very close presidential race in favor
of Roh at that time.
But Chung's proposal to revise or downsize the Sejong project has raised fierce
protests from the DP, now the main opposition party, and other minor opposition
parties including the Chungcheong-based LFP.
Chung's approval is immediately expected to spill over into next week's
parliamentary inspections, with the opposition bloc determined to take issue with
the new prime minister.
"Although he was approved, our verification of Chung is not finished," said Woo
Je-chang, a spokesman of the DP.
brk@yna.co.kr