President Park Geun-hye will delay sending her request to parliament for the approval of her prime minister nominee until she returns from her Central Asian tour on Saturday.
 
Park's spokesman Min Kyung-wook made the comment on the presidential plane on Wednesday in the Uzbek capital Tashkent just before the president was departing for the ancient Uzbek city of Samarkand.
 
He said when the president returns from her tour, she will review making the request to parliament to approve Prime Minister nominee Moon Chang-keuk.
 
Min added the president will focus on her diplomatic schedules during the tour. 
 
Park was earlier expected to authorize documents related to the request through an electronic administrative system while in Central Asia. 
 
Moon, a former journalist known for his conservative views, has sparked controversies over his past remarks, such as referring to Japan’s colonial rule of Korea as God’s will.