PM Nominee Faces Resistance

Prime minister-nominee Moon Chang-keuk's apology for controversial remarks he made years ago about Japan's colonization of the Korean Peninsula did not go far enough to absolve him in the eyes of lawmakers.

Should the presidential office push ahead with Moon's nomination, some New Politics Alliance for Democracy lawmakers say they would consider boycotting the confirmation hearing.

The negative views are not confined to the opposition. Six first-term lawmakers of the ruling Saenuri Party have also issued statements calling for Moon to withdraw his nomination, while a number of more heavyweight lawmakers have openly criticized him.

President Park Geun-hye will re-evaluate Moon's qualifications after returning from a week-long trip through Central Asia. Cheong Wa Dae said the president would look at the issue more closely, and then decide whether to make a formal request for a confirmation hearing.

Moon told reporters that he will wait patiently and do what he needs to do.