Park officially appoints new police chief

President Park Geun-hye officially appointed Lee Cheol-seong to lead the National Police Agency on Wednesday, amid continued objections from opposition parties that call him unfit for the post due to his ethical lapses.

The appointment came as opposition lawmakers refused to adopt a parliamentary confirmation report on Lee due in large part to his 1993 record of drunk driving.

On Tuesday, Park made a second request that the National Assembly adopt the confirmation report. Should the legislature reject the second request, Park can officially appoint her top-office nominee without parliamentary consent.

Photo taken on Aug. 19, shows National Police Agency chief nominee Lee Cheol-seong speaking during a confirmation hearing at the National Assembly in Seoul. (Yonhap)

As to the opposition parties' objections, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae has highlighted that Lee has repeatedly expressed his contrition for the incident that took place more than two decades ago, and that he was pardoned in 1995 for the offense.

Lee replaced Kang Sin-myeong whose two-year term ended Tuesday.

Lee served as Park's secretary for social security between September 2014 and December last year. Since December, he had served as the deputy NPA commissioner general. (Yonhap)