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S.Korea's opposition parties demand new parliament-proposed prime minister

Xinhua, November 7, 2016 Adjust font size:

South Korea's opposition political parties on Monday demanded the retraction of prime minister nomination, which they claimed was "unilaterally decided upon by President Park Geun-hye."

Unless President Park accepts new prime minister proposed by a parliamentary agreement, political campaigns to demand the president's resignation is expected to kick off in the near future.

Choo Mi-ae, chairwoman of the main opposition Minjoo Party, told a supreme council meeting that President Park must cancel the cabinet reshuffle, which goes against the public sentiment, and nominate a new prime minister proposed by the parliament.

If Park turns her head away from the demand, Choo said, the Minjoo Party will have no choice but to get into a campaign to force the president to step down.

Three major opposition parties, including the People's Party and the Justice Party, have called on the president to accept parliament-proposed prime minister and let him choose cabinet members in order to form a politically-neutral coalition cabinet.

President Park appointed three cabinet members, including the prime minister nominee Kim Byong-joon, last week, but the oppositions have boycotted parliamentary hearing for approval as the nomination was a result of "unilateral" determination by the president without any prior notice and consultation with the parliament.

Some of Minjoo Party lawmakers stressed the need for Park's resignation and even impeachment in their separate interviews with local media outlets. Nine first-term lawmakers of the People's Party issued a statement calling for the president's resignation.

The opposition parties have also demanded an independent prosecutor probe and a separate parliamentary investigation into the scandal involving President Park's longtime confidante and her former key aides.

The Minjoo Party already drew up a draft bill on the independent counsel investigation that mobilizes more than 30 prosecutors and continues for as long as 150 days. The party plans to coordinate with other rival parties on the draft bill. Enditem