President Park Geun-hye on Wednesday officially appointed Lee Chul-sung as the new police chief despite parliamentary resistance.

The appointment came after the National Assembly failed to respond to Park’s second request for a parliamentary confirmation report due to the opposition parties’ dissent.

The president is entitled to go ahead with a nomination if the Assembly rejects two consecutive requests for the report.

The opposition parties have opposed Lee heading the National Police Agency, citing his drunk driving record in 1993. Lee admitted that he had concealed his job as a police officer at the time, escaping disciplinary action.

According to the Personnel Hearing Act, the Assembly must complete the confirmation process within 20 days. The president can request again for the report within the following next 10 days. If the request is denied, the president can bypass the parliamentary step and formally finalize the appointment.

Following Park’s decision, Lee held his inauguration ceremony in the afternoon.

Cheong Wa Dae said Lee had repeatedly apologized for his drunk driving record 23 years ago.

Lee replaces Kang Sin-myeong who completed his two-year tenure earlier this week.

Lee served as presidential secretary for social security between September 2014 and December 2015.

He was formally the deputy NPA commissioner general.

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)