SOUTH KOREA: President Lee Myung-bak names ex-judge Kim Hwang-sik to fill prime minister post

Record ID: 230974

  • Title: SOUTH KOREA: President Lee Myung-bak names ex-judge Kim Hwang-sik to fill prime minister post
  • Date: 17th September 2010
  • Summary: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (SEPTEMBER 16, 2010) (REUTERS) SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENTIAL CHIEF OF STAFF YIM TAE-HEE WALKING IN NEWS CONFERENCE ROOM AND BOWING JOURNALISTS YIM SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENTIAL CHIEF OF STAFF YIM TAE-HEE SAYING: "(Kim) has been recognised for his integrity and ethical standard over 38 years of public service as a judge and auditor founded on exhaustive constitutionalism and is considered the perfect person, who is with integrity and morality, to be the prime minister while the country is aiming to implement an equal society." YIM SPEAKING JOURNALISTS YIM AT NEWS CONFERENCE VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF INDEPENDENT BOARD OF AUDIT AND INSPECTION STONE WITH SIGN "INDEPENDENT BOARD OF AUDIT AND INSPECTION" SOUTH KOREAN PRIME MINISTER NOMINEE KIM HWANG-SIK WALKING TOWARD JOURNALISTS JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) SOUTH KOREAN PRIME MINISTER NOMINEE KIM HWANG-SIK SAYING: "I'll do my best to assist the president to make a strong country and fair society with my 38 years of public service experience." KIM LEAVING
  • Embargoed: 2nd October 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVACY0UQPLLJ7HQU6JIQAG7ONGZE
  • Story Text: South Korean President Lee Myung-bak Thursday (September 16) named a former supreme court justice with a long public service history as prime minister in an effort to plug a political vacuum with the post.
    Lee wants to see his reform plans pass parliament, including tax cuts, business reforms, and a free trade deal with the United States, as he works through the second half of a single five-year term to avoid sliding into a lame duck presidency like his predecessors.
    The prime minister nominee, Kim Hwang-sik, currently heads the independent Board of Audit and Inspection and is seen as a safe choice who can stand up to ethical scrutiny by opposition MPs during the confirmation process.
    "(Kim) has been recognised for his integrity and ethical standard over 38 years of public service as a judge and auditor founded on exhaustive constitutionalism and is considered the perfect person, who is with integrity and morality, to be the prime minister while the country is aiming to implement an equal society," said the Presidential Chief of Staff Yim Tae-hee.
    Lee saw his previous prime minister designate step down last month under intense pressure when allegations of unethical conduct during his tenure as a provincial governor surfaced during parliament hearings.
    The prime minister nominee Hwang said he will do his best to help the president if he passes the confirmation hearing.
    "I'll do my best to assist the president to make a strong country and fair society with my 38 years of public service experience," said Hwang later in the day.
    Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan quit early in September amid accusations of nepotism surrounding the hiring of his daughter for a ministry job, the fourth resignation to hit Lee's government in a month due to allegations of questionable personal conduct.
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