(LEAD) New confirmation hearing for PM nominee set for next week

All News 14:34 April 26, 2022

(ATTN: UPDATES with new date for hearing; CHANGES headline, photo)

SEOUL, April 26 (Yonhap) -- The ruling Democratic Party (DP) and the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) agreed Tuesday to hold a new confirmation hearing for Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo next week after this week's hearing fell apart due to a boycott by DP lawmakers.

The two parties' executive secretaries on the special confirmation hearing committee agreed to hold Han's hearing on May 2-3, officials said. The special committee will hold a plenary session on Wednesday to approve the new date, they said.

This week's hearing grounded to a halt as lawmakers from the DP and the Justice Party boycotted two days of sessions, citing Han's failure to submit requested data on real-estate transactions, tax payment and other issues.

Tuesday was the deadline for Han's hearing. By law, the confirmation process should be finished within 20 days after a request for a hearing is submitted to the Assembly. Han's hearing was submitted to the Assembly on April 7.

It was not uncommon for the National Assembly to violate the deadline. In 2015, the National Assembly completed a vetting process for former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn 28 days after a request for his hearing was submitted.

In the hearing, Han, who is nominated as the first prime minister of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's incoming government, was expected to be grilled about alleged conflicts of interest related to his home rental in the 1990s and also the hefty salary he received as an adviser to law firm Kim & Chang.

In South Korea, prime minister is the only Cabinet post that requires parliamentary approval.