President Park Geun-hye gave a certificate of appointment to Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo on Feb. 17, one day after his nomination was approved by the National Assembly. And soon President Park presided over a cabinet meeting in which newly inaugurated Prime Minister Lee was attending.
Park said, “I expect Prime Minister Lee with profound experiences, knowledge and leadership to address a heap of reform tasks before us the government will have to implement.”
President Park asked Prime Minister Lee to play a leading role at a policy consultation committee among the ruling party, government and Cheong Wa Dae, soon to be inaugurated. The president agreed to establish the committee during her meeting with Saenuri Party Chairman Kim Moo-sung, Floor Leader Ryu Seong-min and other party leaders last week.
“We shared the view that the party, government and Cheong Wa Dae have to join forces and become one with common goals to push for the efficient implementation of economic innovation and national reform,” President Park said. She asked Prime Minister Lee for his leading role in discussing major policies by reinvigorating ranking party and government officials’ meetings in which the prime minister also participates.
“From now on, we have to speed up work in order to yield outcomes in such tasks as reinvigorating the national economy and reforming the top four sectors, as I announced at the beginning of this year.”
She made a point that a grand compromise should be made on the issue of overhauling the labor market by the end of March so that jobs for youth can be expanded, and the pending issue of non-regular employees can be solved.
Park told the Cabinet that the government should accelerate efforts to parlay such policies into action to improve the fundamentals of the national economy, including regulatory reform of core restrictions, creating outcomes of the creative economy and the development of the agricultural industry into a future growth engine.
In the afternoon, Lee took office as the 43th prime minister at an inauguration ceremony at the Government Complex in downtown Seoul.
“I’ve reflected on my 40 years in office during this parliamentary hearing (of the nomination) in a sincerely manner and realized how huge I have to take responsibility as the prime minister to meet public expectations and serve people,” Prime Minister Lee said in his inaugural speech. “I swear in to become a prime minister who respect people’s will and work with people,” Lee declared.
Lee said he will devote himself to turning around the sagging national economy, among other things, and exerted the government’s capabilities to parlay the three-year economic innovation plan into tangible results.
“Dialogues, compromise, cooperation and co-prosperity are the most important values that can mature our democracy and a driving force behind integration of society,” said the new prime minister, adding, “I’ll do my utmost to read people’s mind and communicate in the perspective of people,” he said.
Lee said he would strive to make the government communicate with the opposition party fully, taking his cue from his experience as floor leader of the ruling party, and considering the opposition party as an important partner.
The sharply divided National Assembly narrowly approved Lee’s nomination as prime minister with 148 of the 281 votes cast for him and 128 votes against him. Five were invalid.
Cabinet Reshuffle
President Park Geun-hye carried out a partial Cabinet reshuffle on Feb. 17, replacing three ministers.
President Park also tapped NH Financial Chairman Yim Jong-yong as the new chairman of the Financial Services Commission.
Hong Yong-pyo, presidential secretary for unification, was taped to be minister of the Ministry of Unification. Rep. Yoo Ki-june of the ruling Saenuri Party was named as minister of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, while Yoo Il-ho, also a Saenuri party lawmaker, was tapped as the minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
Park also accepted the resignation of Kim Ki-choon, her chief of staff, who has been under fire for the lax personnel management of Cheong Wa Dae.
In an earlier reshuffle of vice ministers, the government promoted Deputy Minister Park Min-kwon of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) to become the first vice minister of the ministry. Park’s promotion to the 1st vice minister came three months after he was promoted to the deputy minster in charge of sports and tourism policy. A native of Busan, Jeollabuk-do in 1958, Vice Minister Park graduated from Yonsei University Theology Department and passed the 33rd higher administrative examination. He held such position as the ones related to cultural policies, media and tourism & leisure.
President Park also appointed Kim Jae-choon, education secretary of Cheong Wa Dae, and Deputy Minister of Choi Jae-you of the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP) to become the vice minister of the Education Ministry and the second vice minister of the MSIP, respectively.
Calls for Grand Labor-Management Compromise for Labor Market Reform
President Park Geun-hye called for government, labor and management leaders to achieve great compromise to ensure structural reform of the labor market.
President Park made the remarks at a luncheon with five leaders of government, labor and management circles at Cheong Wa Dae on Feb. 13.
On hand at the meeting were Chairman Kim Dong-man of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), Acting Chairman Kim Young-vae of Korea Employers Federation (KEF), Deputy Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance Choi Kyung-hwan, Minister Lee Ki-kweon of the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL), and Chairman Kim Dae-hwan of the Economic and Social Development Commission.
Last December, government, labor and management leaders agreed to the principles and direction of overhauling the labor market during a meeting of the commission, known previously as the Korea Tripartite Commission.
“The labor issue over more than 6 million temps should be solved without fail,” said President Park on Jan. 12 at a meeting of reporters upon embarking on her third year in office at Cheong Wa Dae.
