President Roh Moo-hyun of South Korea has nominated Han Myeong Sook, who has often worked on women’s causes, to be the country’s next prime minister. While Han is the second woman to be nominated to the post of prime minister, the previous nomination was rejected by Parliament, which has 20 days to vote on the nomination of Han, reports BBC. It is expected to be approved.
Han has been President Roh’s minister of the environment; she also held the post of minister of gender equality and family in the administration of the previous president, Kim Dae-jung, reports the Associated Press. Between 1979 and 1981, Han had been jailed for allegedly supporting pro-Communist ideas but she was cleared in 2001 when a government committee concluded that Han had confessed under torture, according to the New York Times. The Times reports that, following her release, Han led several women’s organizations before becoming a legislator.
