Seoul, May 2 (IANS) South Korean Acting President Lee Ju-ho presided over his first Cabinet meeting on Friday and stressed the need to devote efforts to state affairs ahead of the June 3 presidential election.
Lee made the calls during the first Cabinet meeting since he assumed the interim leadership following the resignation of former acting South Korean President Han Duck-soo and Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Choi Sang-mok on Thursday.
Noting the National Assembly’s passage of the extra budget Bill the previous day, Lee also said, “This supplementary budget was passed in just 11 days, the fastest in the past 20 years.”
“It is now time for the government to fulfill its responsibility,” he added.
On Thursday, the National Assembly passed a 13.8 trillion-won ($9.6 billion) extra budget aimed at helping disaster response efforts and revitalising the economy.
With only 33 days remaining until the election, Lee urged the government to ensure the transparent and fair management of the electoral process while firmly maintaining national security, Yonhap news agency reported.
He then called for undivided attention to pending national tasks, including full-scale trade talks with the United States and revitalising the economy, despite the limited time remaining.
Under the Constitution, the country is required to hold a new election within 60 days after a vacancy arises in the presidency.
The government also designated June 3 as a temporary public holiday.
The National Election Commission began early candidate registration shortly after the Constitutional Court dismissed Yoon.
Candidates will be required to register by May 11 and the official campaign period will kick off on May 12.
The law also requires a public servant running for President to resign at least 30 days before an election, making May 4 the deadline.
The new President will assume office immediately after the election without a transition team.
When former South Korean President Park Geun-hye was removed from office on March 10, 2017, the early election was also held exactly 60 days later, on May 9.
Meanwhile, Yoon, who dramatically rose from a top prosecutor to the presidency in about three years, became the nation’s second President to be formally removed from office, with his surprise martial law bid rattling the nation for months and deepening political polarisation.
With the ruling, Yoon, 64, follows in the footsteps of former South Korean President Park Geun-hye, who was ousted in 2017 when the Constitutional Court upheld her impeachment over a corruption scandal.
–IANS
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