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South Korea President Kim Dae-jung Tuesday designated lawyer Kim Suk-soo, former head of the National Election Commission (NEC), as new prime minister, the President Office announced in Seoul. Seventy-year-old Kim Suk-soo, a former Supreme Court justice, is President Kim's third choice for prime minister's post after the National Assembly rejected his previous two nominees, reported South Korean national news agency Yonhap News.
"New Prime Minister-designated Kim has displayed his administrative abilities while serving as the NEC chairman," the presidential chief of staff Park Jie-won was quoted by Yonhap as saying.
The new premier nominee is also expected to help maintain the Cabinet's political neutrality and oversee the December presidential election as fairly as possible, noted the presidential staff.
Kim, who was born in South Gyeongsang Province, graduated from Yonsei University and has since served at various posts at courts.Now, he is also serving as chairman of the Public Servants Ethics Committee and the Newspaper Ethics Committee. The nomination came two weeks after the parliament rejected President Kim's second nomination for the post which has been leftvacant since the July 11 cabinet reshuffle.
Former Ewha Wonmans University President Chang Sang and Maeil Business Newspaper President Chang Dae-whan were consecutively rejected by the parliament amid controversies over their economic and financial backgrounds.
(Xinhua News Agency September 10, 2002)
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