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Lee Hai-chan shakes hands with Uri party representatives prior to a parliamentary vote of his appointment as the new prime minister at the National Assembly on Tuesday afternoon.
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The National Assembly approved Lee Hai-chan as the new prime minister at a general meeting on Tuesday. With 289 out of 299 lawmakers participating, the confirmation bill was passed by a 200-84 vote, with five votes ruled invalid.
As Lee was confirmed as prime minister, President Roh Moo-hyun is to give Lee the letter of appointment Wednesday morning. With the recommendations of the new prime minister, Roh will carry out a partial reshuffle to officially launch the 2nd cabinet of his administration.
Former Uri Party chairman Chung Dong-young was de facto designated as the Minister of Unification, and Uri Party lawmakers Kim Geun-tae and Chung Dong-chae as the Minister of Health and Welfare and the Minister of Culture and Tourism.
There may be a second cabinet reshuffle after July 10 because it is known that Roh is considering making a partial personnel move in the diplomatic and security areas when the Board of Audit and Inspection of Korea releases the results of its investigation into the death of Kim Sun-il. However, if no clear reasons for disciplinary action are found, the personnel shift is expected to be minimal.
With the confirmation bill passed, Lee, in his early 50¡¯s, will be the youngest prime minister in 30 years since Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil in 1971, to lead the government.
Lee Hai-chan served time in prison twice on charges of participating in the democratization movement in 1974 (while he was a student at Seoul National University's sociology department) and of being involved in the alleged "Kim Dae-jung rebellion conspiracy" of 1980.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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