President-elect Yoon to Nominate Prime Minister as Early as First Week of Next Month

Under Review to Reduce Candidate Pool to Triple
Inside Party: Jeong Jin-seok, Kwon Young-se, Kim Ki-hyun
Outside: Kim Han-gil, Park Joo-sun Among Rumored Names
Transition Team Personnel Verification: "List Expected Soon"

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is arriving at the transition committee office in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 25th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] The team of President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol is reportedly narrowing down the list of prime minister candidates and is expected to announce the selection as early as the first week of next month. Within the People Power Party, there have been requests to the Presidential Transition Committee to "submit the list quickly," indicating that the appointment process is likely to accelerate.

According to the People Power Party and the Transition Committee on the 25th, the committee plans to reduce the candidate pool to three times the final number next week and begin internal reviews for the final selection. The appointment is expected to be finalized as early as May 4th, and no later than the 10th. This is because the prime minister must be appointed at least a month before the presidential inauguration on May 10th.

An official from the Transition Committee’s personnel verification team said, "The list will be submitted soon," adding, "While we will initially narrow it down to three times the final number, we do not rule out the possibility of the candidate pool expanding during the reporting process to the president-elect."

The acceleration in naming the prime minister is due to the fact that the appointment process typically takes about a month. Once the prime minister candidate is nominated, the National Assembly establishes a special personnel hearing committee, which takes about two weeks to prepare before holding the hearing. Considering the current opposition-majority National Assembly and the scheduling of the plenary vote, even a month is a tight timeframe. A People Power Party official said, "The prime minister must be appointed first before we can recommend candidates for the other ministerial positions."

Among the party members rumored as candidates for the inaugural prime minister are Representative Jeong Jin-seok, who serves as the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly; Floor Leader Kim Gi-hyeon, who previously served as Mayor of Ulsan; and Representative Kwon Young-se, who has been involved from the election campaign headquarters through the transition committee.

Kim Han-gil, Chairman of the National Unity Committee, who provides political advice to President-elect Yoon, and Park Joo-sun, Chairman of the Presidential Inauguration Ceremony Preparation Committee, are also mentioned. The inclusion of political figures from the Democratic Party is seen as an effort to gain consent from the major opposition party. However, there are predictions within the Democratic Party that they may not welcome this.

As for the most likely prime minister candidate, Transition Committee Chairman Ahn Cheol-soo may take on a different role. If Ahn is appointed prime minister, he would be required under the Public Officials Ethics Act to sell all his shares in AhnLab through a blind trust, which could be an obstacle.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.