President Park Geun-hye on Thursday nominated Justice Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn to fill the prime minister’s post.

Born in 1957, Hwang spent more than 30 years serving as a public prosecutor.

He has held key posts within the prosecution throughout his career and has served as the justice minister since the Park Geun-hye administration was launched in 2013.

Kim Sung-woo, the chief presidential secretary for public relations, said Hwang was selected as the prime minister as he is considered the right person to bring about political reform.

If Hwang is confirmed by the National Assembly, he will fill the spot left vacant by ruling Saenuri Party’s Rep. Lee Wan-koo, who stepped down as the prime minister after he was implicated in an expanding graft scandal revolving around late businessman Sung Woan-jong.

Lee was one of eight political heavyweights alleged to have accepted illegal political funds from deceased ex-Keangnam chairman Sung. Park had appointed Lee, a veteran politician and former Saenuri floor leader, in February as part of efforts to seek momentum for her reform drive.

The prime minister’s seat has been left vacant for nearly a month as Park struggled to find a replacement.

Among Park’s five nominees for prime minister during her tenure, only two, including Lee, were able to assume the office.

Hwang is also expected to meet tough grilling sessions at the parliamentary hearing as the opposition takes issue with his expertise in public security.

The staunch constitutionalist, who has been advocating a need for early education of the Constitution, is well known for his public security-focused career at the prosecution.

While serving as the justice minister, Hwang spearheaded the arrest of former leftist lawmaker Lee Seok-ki and the dissolution of his party for being supportive of the North Korean regime.

Upon Cheong Wa Dae’s formal designation, Hwang held a press conference and said, “I will do my best to uphold the people’s wishes, with an understanding that taking care of the socially weak is also a crucial national task while achieving people’s harmony and social integration.”

The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, meanwhile, immediately criticized the choice.

“President Park Geun-hye naming Minister Hwang is an overt declaration that she would reign over the country with a public security-focused (government),” NPAD senior spokesman Rep. Kim Yung-rok.

Claiming Hwang’s past career went against the efforts of democratization by curbing opposition forces, the opposition argued Hwang was not fit to be prime minister, a role that must bring the people together and revive the economy.

The party vowed a thorough hearing process ahead.

By Choi He-suk and news reports