President to appoint three new ministers

SEOUL, June 16 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in was set to appoint three new ministers Friday, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said.

Reps. Kim Boo-kyum and Do Jong-hwan of the ruling Democratic Party were set to be appointed the new interior minister and minister of culture, sports and tourism, respectively, in a ceremony at the presidential office at 5:10 p.m.

Kim Young-choon, also a ruling party lawmaker, was to be appointed the minister of oceans and fisheries.

The scheduled appointments come two days after they underwent parliamentary confirmation hearings.

With the three new ministers, the number of new Cabinet members appointed under the new Moon Jae-in administration will come to five. They include Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon and Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon, who doubles as a deputy prime minister for economy.

The president has 14 more Cabinet members to appoint before what will truly be his first new Cabinet can set sail.

Moon has named 11 other nominees for new ministers, but the opposition-led parliament refuses to endorse Foreign Minister-nominee Kang Kyung-wha over her past wrongdoings that include false registration of her address for her daughter.

Transportation Minister-nominee Kim Hyun-mee, another incumbent lawmaker from the ruling party, has undergone her confirmation hearing, but the parliamentary hearing committee has failed to issue a report on the outcome of the hearing. The committee is expected to again hold a meeting on Monday to discuss its endorsement of Kim.

Confirmation hearings for the remaining nine minister-nominees are set to be held over the coming weeks.

bdk@yna.co.kr
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