Yoon to formally ask National Assembly to approve PM nominee

President Yoon Suk-yeol plans to formally ask the National Assembly to approve Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo on Tuesday after he takes the oath of office, the floor leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) said.

PPP floor leader Rep. Kweon Seong-dong told CBS radio that Yoon plans to file his first motion to ask the National Assembly to approve Han later in the day.

"Under the National Assembly law, the National Assembly should hold a plenary session as soon as possible to approve the prime minister nominee," Kweon said.

Han has been nominated as the first prime minster of the Yoon government, but he has yet to receive the National Assembly's approval. In South Korea, the prime minister is the only Cabinet post that requires parliamentary approval.

Last week, a parliamentary confirmation hearing committee of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), which holds a majority in the National Assembly, declared Han as "unqualified," citing his post-retirement career at a law firm and other suspicions of irregularities.

The Yoon government is likely to hold its first Cabinet session this week to approve an extra budget proposal aimed at compensating pandemic-hit small merchants.

Outgoing Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum is expected to recommend the appointment of Finance Minister nominee Choo Kyung-ho, who is also named to double as the deputy prime minister for economic affairs.

Choo is cleared for appointment after the National Assembly adopted his confirmation hearing report. He is expected to serve as acting prime minister after Kim retires. (Yonhap)