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S. Korea parliament vetoes woman PM
( 2002-07-31 15:55 ) (7 )

South Korea's parliament on Wednesday vetoed the appointment of the country's first female prime minister after bitter wrangling mired in allegations of financial impropriety and sexism.

National Assembly Speaker Park Kwan-Yong said that of 244 votes cast, 142 lawmakers voted against appointing Chang Sang and 100 voted for her. There was one abstention and one ballot was declared invalid.

"I declare the motion for the approval of the appointment of Chang as prime minister has been voted down," Park said.

The decision was seen as a blow to President Kim Dae-Jung who named Chang, then the dean of the prestigious Ewha women's university, as premier on July 11. The president must now find a substitute for her.

Chang, 63, has been the target of an outspoken opposition campaign that she fabricated her academic background, engaged in real-estate speculation and was disloyal to her homeland.

Chang had denied any wrongdoing during the two-day confirmation hearing in parliament which ended Tuesday.

But lawmakers pressed on alleging that Chang encouraged her son, who was born in the United States in 1973, to drop South Korean nationality to dodge military service.

Lawmakers also alleged that she improperly made speculative investments in real estate, including apartment houses and land in Seoul and its outskirts in the late 1980s.

Chang was further accused of mis-stating her academic qualifications by saying she got a doctoral degree from Princeton University in the United States.

She actually graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary, and has said her office made a translation mistake on her CV.

Neither did Chang's gender go unnoticed in the deeply traditional society of South Korea.

Two weeks ago, a top campaigner for opposition presidential candidate Lee Hoi-Chang resigned after being accused of making sexist remarks against the prime minister-designate.

Lawmaker Kim Moo-Sung of the main opposition Grand National Party, who had led a campaign by the party against Chang, quit as Lee's chief of staff after making a public apology.

"I never meant to despise women. But I am resigning to take responsibility for the controversy caused by my remarks," he said.

The lawmaker had expressed doubt over the competence of Chang. "It is very disturbing to think that a woman will become a head of state if President Kim cannot carry out his duties," he had told reporters.

His comments enraged President Kim's office, the ruling Millennium Democratic Party, feminists and women rights groups.

A presidential election is due in December to find a successor to Kim, whom the constitution allows only one term.