SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean President-elect Yoon Seok Yeol is set to name a centrist former prime minister to lead his government, as the ex-prosecutor seeks help in navigating the country’s polarized politics.
Yoon will announce the nomination of Han Duck-soo, 72, as his new administration’s prime minister at 3:30 p.m. local time Sunday, Yonhap reported without citing anyone. Han previously held the post from 2007 to 2008 under former progressive President Roh Moo-hyun, before serving as ambassador to the U.S. under his conservative successor, Lee Myung-bak.
The decision to tap a veteran political operator who has experience working on both sides of South Korea’s partisan divide suggests Yoon is seeking to overcome doubts about his ability to deliver. The former prosecutor general has never held elected office before and won by the narrowest margin ever after joining the conservative People Power Party to run against the party of his ex-boss, outgoing President Moon Jae-in.
