The ruling Saenuri Party unilaterally adopted a report Thursday on the confirmation of the nominee for Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) chief, defying strong objections from the main opposition party.

The report was adopted in a vote by all seven ruling party members on the special parliamentary committee for handling nominee Hwang Chan-hyon's confirmation.

The remaining six opposition party members boycotted the vote, but the report still passed with majority approval.

The move is expected to draw fierce protests from the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), which has refused to confirm Hwang without the withdrawal of health minister nominee Moon Hyung-pyo.

The DP has insisted that Moon is unfit for the job due to his ethical lapses, specifically his alleged use of corporate credit cards for personal purposes.

The ruling party has vowed to approve Hwang at a full National Assembly session later in the day, urging Assembly speaker Kang Chang-hee to put the confirmation motion up for a vote using his discretion.

Hwang, 60, was named by President Park Geun-hye last month to succeed Yang Kun as head of the BAI. Yang resigned in August following criticism that the agency flip-flopped on a contentious river restoration project carried out under the previous administration.

Hwang was chief of the Seoul Central District Court prior to his nomination. (Yonhap News)