By Alex Jensen
SEOUL
South Korean President Park Geun-hye picked a new prime minister Friday in an apparent response to media pressure and a lowest vote of public confidence since she took office in February 2013.
The presidential office announced the nomination of ruling party floor leader Lee One-koo, along with the appointments of four special advisers and three senior secretaries.
While Lee awaits parliamentary approval, outgoing PM Chung Hong-won will for now remain second-in-command to the president.
Chung already offered to step down last year after a ferry disaster that left more than 300 people dead or still missing -- representing the most significant loss in a series of public safety lapses in 2014.
Calls for reform have intensified in recent weeks after the presidential office became mired in a document leak scandal dubbed 'memogate' -- in addition to new criticisms over what has been perceived as an unofficial tax hike.
While the country's finance minister has conceded changes to the country's new tax system, there are wider economic concerns such as soaring household debt -- Bank of Korea data shows that the figure rose by around $7 billion for two consecutive months last October and November.
It is perhaps unsurprising then that Lee has vowed to devote himself to "reviving the economy" if approved by the National Assembly, according to local news agency Yonhap.
He also said that he would speak frankly with Park on state affairs -- the president this week garnered just 30 percent approval among 1,001 adults polled by Gallup Korea.
Whether Park has gone far enough to regain public confidence remains to be seen -- her chief of staff Kim Ki-choon has managed to keep his job, for example.
She also still needs to choose a new maritime ministry head, as the position was vacated in the wake of April's Sewol ferry tragedy.
