Lawmakers Confirm Prime Minister Han

For the first time in the history of the Korean Republic, the country has a female prime minister.

The National Assembly held a plenary session yesterday afternoon and put an approval bill for Han Myeong-sook to a vote. The bill was approved 182-77 with three abstentions. Among the 297 lawmakers on the assembly register, 264 attended and voted by secret ballot.

Since former Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan stepped down in disgrace after “the improper golfing scandal” on March 15, Han Duck-soo, the acting prime minister and minister of Finance and Economy, has presided over the cabinet for 35 days. The vacant post was made up for by the appointment.

Han was born in Pyongyang and graduated from Ewha Womans University. In 2002, then-president Kim Dae-Jung nominated Han as the first Minister of Gender Equality. Under President Roh, Han Myeong-sook served as environment minister. She was elected the 16th lawmaker by proportional representation. In the 17th general election of 2004, she was reelected in Ilsan-gu Gap, Goyang city, Gyeonggi Province.

taewon_ha@donga.com