South Korea parliament approves new PM
February 16, 2015
In the third attempt to replace outgoing Prime Minister Chung Hong-won, South Korea's parliament voted in Lee Wan Koo as the country's new prime minister on Monday.
Lee, a political veteran, previously spent time in office in the Finance Ministry and the police.
Despite being approved on Monday, Lee is less than popular among the opposition parties, with many threatening to block the government's economic stimulus bills.
The 64-year-old has already faced a string of allegations relating to real estate speculation, plagiarism, and draft-dodging involving him and one of his sons.
Two previous nominees put forward by Park were also abandoned due to speculation over their past behavior.
The newly appointed prime minister succeeds Chung Hong-won who resigned after the Sewol ferry sinking last April in which more than 300 people died, most of whom were secondary school children. The former prime minister came under fire for his alleged mishandling of the crisis.
The tightly won vote could also complicate Park's efforts to to win parliamentary backing for measures to boost the economy.
Public support for Park is currently at the lowest since she took office in early 2013, having dipped below 30 percent last month.
ksb/kms (Reuters, AFP, dpa)