Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choi Sang-mok said on the 30th that he had received no separate indication from acting Prime Minister Han Duck-soo regarding the latter's candidacy in the presidential election.
During a plenary meeting of the National Assembly's Strategy and Finance Committee that day, Vice Prime Minister Choi answered a question about whether he had received any indication from acting Prime Minister Han regarding the presidential candidacy, saying, "Absolutely not."
In political circles, there are predictions that acting Prime Minister Han may resign tomorrow (May 1) and run for president as an independent. If Prime Minister Han resigns, Vice Prime Minister Choi will take over the presidential duties again and become the highest authority in the administration for about five weeks until the June 3 presidential election.
In response to a question about whether an official handover was necessary for the acting position, he said, "If that decision (to resign) is made, I think there would need to be a handover." Regarding concerns that frequent changes in acting leadership could lead to a decline in national credibility, he remarked, "I don't think it's appropriate for me to comment on that."
Vice Prime Minister Choi also responded to a question from Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Lim Kwang-hyun about Korea's participation in the U.S. Alaska liquefied natural gas (LNG) development project, stating, "I understand that it is a task that takes considerable time for judgment."
He said, "I do not have accurate information on what the situation of the project is objectively," adding, "To receive accurate information, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy is scheduled to go on-site for a feasibility study. After reviewing the local conditions, we will be able to make a judgment from there."
Earlier, the United States and South Korea held a '2+2 trade consultation' in Washington, D.C., with the finance and trade ministers of both countries participating simultaneously. During this consultation, cooperation in shipbuilding between the two countries and participation in the Alaska LNG development project were reported to have been major topics of discussion.
Meanwhile, Vice Prime Minister Choi, in response to a question about whether he had reported to acting Prime Minister Han Duck-soo regarding the LNG project before his business trip for trade consultations, answered, "The Ministry of Industry would have reported to him." When asked if acting Prime Minister Han had directed a swift resolution to trade negotiations with the U.S., he said, "No, he really didn’t."