Passage of Motion on Appointment of Kim Suk-soo as Prime Minister

The National Assembly on Oct. 5 held a plenary session in which it endorsed the appointment of Kim Suk-soo as prime minister. This move ended an 86-day political vacuum created by its consecutive rejections of President Kim’s choices - Chang Sang and Chang Dae-hwan - for the premiership after former Prime Minister Lee Han-dong stepped down on July 11.

A total of 249 lawmakers out of 272 on the register participated in the vote, in which they endorsed 210-31 Kim Suk-soo as prime minister, with 2 blank ballots and 6 invalid ballots. Motion on the appointment of prime minister can be passed when majority of the lawmakers on the register participate in the vote and majority of the attendees vote for it.

Ahead of the vote, the majority Grand National Party, the Millennium Democratic Party and the United Liberal Democrats held general meetings respectively to decide their party lines.

The new prime minister said, “I will do my best to stabilize politics at the end of President Kim’s term, and put emphasis on holding the presidential election fairly.”

Young-Chan Yoon Hyung-gwon Pu yyc11@donga.com bookum90@donga.com