National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug has called a plenary session at 7 p.m. on Thursday to hold a vote on appointment of Prime Minister nominee Kim Boo-kyum. 

National Assembly Spokesperson Han Min-soo told reporters on Thursday that the nation can no longer afford to keep the Prime Minister's seat empty amid the slew of challenges it faces regarding its COVID-19 pandemic response and efforts to revive the economy. 

Noting President Moon Jae-in’s upcoming visit to Washington next week for his summit with U.S. President Joe Biden, the speaker said the absence of two top leaders will not bode well for the nation's best interest. 

Speaker Park also expressed regret over the rival parties’ failure to reach a compromise on the issue after several open- and closed-door meetings on the matter. 

Earlier in the day, Floor Leaders of the ruling Democratic Party(DP) and the main People Power Party(PPP), Yoon Ho-joong and Kim Ki-hyun, sat down in a meeting arranged by Speaker Park but couldn’t come to an agreement. 

The PPP has lumped the confirmation for the prime minister nominee together with the that of the three ministerial nominees, whom they criticized for alleged ethical lapses, and demanded concessions from the DP in ministerial nominations. The DP, however, has argued they are two separate issues. 

With the rival parties yet to adopt a confirmation hearing report on the prime minister nominee, Speaker Park is expected to exercise his right to put to a vote a bill to approve Kim.