Chung Hong-won wins Assembly confirmation to be prime minister

Chung Hong-won won National Assembly confirmation to be the first prime minister of the Park Geun-hye administration on Feb. 26, a day after Park took the oath of office.

In a plenary session, the legislature voted 197 to 67 to confirm Chung, a former public prosecutor, in a first step to form the new Cabinet.

Chung, 68, served as a prosecutor for nearly 30 years, a lawyer and chief of the Korea Legal Aid Corporation before working as chairman of the ruling Saenuri Party's candidates nomination committee ahead of the parliamentary elections in April last year.

He replaces Kim Hwang-shik who assumed the post for two years and five months under former President Lee Myung-bak.

Park Sae-jin swatchsjp@ajunews.com