Prime Minister Nomination Moves Toward Approval Without a Report for the Fifth Straight Time...Only Majority Vote Remains in the National Assembly

[Financial News] The Special Committee on Personnel Hearings failed to adopt a review report on the motion of consent for Han Seong-sook's appointment as prime minister. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea plans to push the motion through at the plenary session of the National Assembly on the 30th, without a review report. If that happens, Han would become the fifth prime minister to win National Assembly approval without such a report.
The committee had originally planned to decide on the report on the 29th, but the ruling and opposition parties could not narrow their differences. The standoff over the composition of the National Assembly's leadership in the second half of the 22nd National Assembly of the Republic of Korea also played a major role.
Speaker of the National Assembly Jung Sung-sik and the Democratic Party of Korea plan to hold a plenary session on the 30th to elect Standing Committee Chairs and complete the leadership lineup. Since they are moving ahead without bipartisan agreement, Han's motion of consent for appointment will also be brought to the floor. Her confirmation review deadline runs through that day, allowing the Speaker to proceed with a vote by authority starting on the 30th.
A prime minister is approved with a majority of all sitting members present and a majority of those present voting in favor. Because the Democratic Party of Korea alone holds a majority of seats, it can force the vote despite objections from the People Power Party. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok also completed the approval process with only pro-government seats, without a review report.
If Han is approved under Democratic Party leadership, she will be the fifth prime minister to receive National Assembly consent without a review report. The last time the ruling and opposition parties adopted such a report was for Lee Nak-yon's approval as prime minister in 2017, during the Moon Jae-in administration. Since then, the prime ministers Chung Sye-kyun and Kim Boo-kyum under the Moon Jae-in administration, Han Duck-soo under the Yoon Suk Yeol government, and Kim Min-seok under the Lee Jae Myung administration have all failed to secure a report amid partisan conflict.
Aside from Han Duck-soo's approval, which the Democratic Party of Korea supported in consideration of the early days of the Yoon Suk Yeol government, the approvals of Chung Sye-kyun, Kim Boo-kyum, and Kim Min-seok under the progressive Moon Jae-in and Lee Jae Myung administrations were all pushed through by the Democratic Party of Korea despite resistance from conservative parties. Han's motion of consent, scheduled for the 30th, is also expected to proceed under pro-government leadership without the People Power Party present.
In political circles, these prime minister approvals are seen as symbolic examples of how the National Assembly has settled into decision-making by majority vote rather than consensus. Since the 21st National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, progressive parties including the Democratic Party of Korea have held a majority of seats, making legislative push-throughs a routine practice.

[email protected] Kim Yoon-ho Reporter