Prior Notice for the Nominee for Prime Minister to GNP

President-elect Roh Moo-hyun will inform the opposition Grand National Party of the nominee for prime minister of the incoming government prior to the official announcement and ask for help to pass two bills concerning confirmation hearings in the National Assembly and approval of president-elect`s appointments, president-elect`s spokesman Lee Nak-youn said on Jan.20.

“The president-elect is considering letting the nominee for the prime ministerial post visit the headquarters of the GNP in person. However, the visit is not a consultative move to sound out the GNP`s opinion over the nominee,” he added.

Rep. Lee Q-tak and Rep. Jung Kyun-whan, floor leaders of the opposition Grand National Party the ruling Millennium Democratic Party, relatively, held a meeting at the National Assembly and discussed ways to bring to light the truth of the three allegations raised by the GNP, including the outgoing Kim Dae-jung government`s purported 400 billion won payment to the North. However, they failed to reach an agreement because the MDP floor leader demanded that allegations related to the GNP should be also investigated along with the three GNP-raised allegations at the same time. As a result, they also failed to make any progress in acting on related bills at a plenary session scheduled for Jan.22 in the National Assembly.

However, there was some progress made in the general meeting of the parliamentary special committee on political reforms. Members of the committee reached an agreement on the period of confirmation hearings for candidates for four key directors, including the director of the National Intelligence Service, which has been a thorny issue between the ruling MDP and rival GNP. According to the agreement, if confirmation hearing fails to take place within 20 days after the nomination, there will be 10 days of extension to the initial period. In spite of the 10 days` extension, confirmation hearings do not take place; the president can appoint the top government officials without confirmation hearings for the nominees.

The political reform committee also agreed in principle to hold a public confirmation hearing for the candidate for the director of the NIS in accordance with the spirit of the National Assembly law.

On the timing of the president-elect proposed meeting with GNP chairman Suh Chung-won, “There won`t be such a meeting between Rep. Suh and president-elect Roh before votes recounts of the Dec. 19 presidential election at the court slated for Jan.27,” said a senior GNP official.

Meanwhile, it has been known that the president-elect met with former Prime Minister Gho-Kun and offered the first prime ministerial post in a new government under the Roh`s leadership.

In response to the offer, the former Prime Minister said, “There is enough time for the president-elect to explore a more suitable person for the job. In spite of through consideration on the candidate, a suitable person can not be found; I have an intension of assuming the post. Although within the president-elect Roh`s camp, President of Ajou University Oh myung and former deputy Prime Minister and economic minister Jin Nyum have been mentioned as alternative candidates for the job, Mr. Oh declined to accept the offer by saying, “I have no intention of assume a government office position,” and the former Prime Minister also said, “I am not a suitable person to assume the post.”

Jeong-Hun Kim Yeon-Wook Jung jnghn@donga.com jyw11@donga.com