Park to hold first Cabinet meeting Monday

Published : Mar 10, 2013 - 20:22 Updated : Mar 10, 2013 - 20:26

President Park Geun-hye plans to hold her first Cabinet meeting on Monday as soon as the minimum number of ministers needed for such a meeting is met following their parliamentary confirmation process, her spokeswoman said.

Park has been unable to hold a Cabinet meeting since being inaugurated on Feb. 25 due to a delay in the parliamentary confirmation process for her minister nominees.

The first meeting has been scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Monday at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, and will be attended by the president, Prime Minister Chung Hong-won, 13 new ministers, and two vice ministers from the finance and defense ministries, presidential spokeswoman Kim Haing said at a press briefing.

"The president believes the stability of state affairs, such as national security and social safety, is more important than anything, and a Cabinet meeting can't be postponed any longer," Kim said.

Under South Korean law, a Cabinet meeting must be attended by at least 15 Cabinet members, excluding the president and the prime minister. Lee Dong-phil, the nominee for agriculture minister, is expected to be the 13th Cabinet member to win parliamentary approval on Monday morning.

The two vice ministers, who were appointed under previous President Lee Myung-bak, will substitute for the incoming finance and defense ministers who have yet to complete the parliamentary confirmation process, Kim said.

(Yonhap News)