S.Korean president agrees to accept parliament-nominated prime minister

SEOUL - South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday agreed with the parliament speaker to accept a new prime minister nominated by a parliamentary agreement.

President Park met with National Assembly speaker Chung Se-kyun, saying in the televised meeting that she will accept a new prime minister, proposed by an agreement between ruling and opposition parties, and let him govern the cabinet actually.

It indicates the president's actual retraction of her nomination of Kim Byong-joon, former secretary to late progressive President Roh Moo-hyun, as new prime minister six days earlier.

Opposition parties have boycotted the nomination as it was "unilaterally" announced without consultations with the parliament.

Park has been mired in a scandal involving her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil and former aides that sparked nationwide rallies and calls from tens of thousands of protesters for her resignation.

Choi is suspected of peddling undue influence for personal gains and pulling government strings behind the scenes by using her decades-long friendship with the president.

Public anger is centered on widespread views that Choi's wrongdoings could not happen without Park's connivance and protection as Choi has no government position.