사진 확대 President Lee Jae-myung greets the new leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea at a dinner meeting with the new leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea in the royal room of the main building of the Blue House on the 25th. From left, Minjoo Party Chairman Kim Min-seok, President Lee, Floor Leader Han Byung-do, Supreme Council member Lee Sung-yoon, and Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Hong Ik-pyo. Reporter Kim Ho-young
With support for Lee Jae Myung’s president in state affairs pushed back to the early 40% level, the timing of the cabinet reshuffle for personnel reform is likely to be accelerated and the size is increasing. Initially, the scenario was that the nomination of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Minister of Justice, which were vacant, would be carried out first and then a major reshuffle at the end of the year and the beginning of the year to launch the second cabinet, but voices inside and outside Cheong Wa Dae have recently been weighed in that public opinion is inevitable through drastic personnel reform. Attention is also focusing on whether the personnel reshuffle will expand to key Cheong Wa Dae staff.
A key ruling party official said in a phone call with the Maeil Economy on the 25th, “The form and timing of the reshuffle have not been confirmed,” but added, “There is a possibility that several ministers who are in need of replacement, including two vacant ministers, will be combined to carry out a medium-sized reshuffle.”
The vacancy of the minister of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups has continued for more than two months since President Lee appointed the minister of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups at the time of Seong Sook Han as prime minister in June. In this situation, after much consideration, President Lee accepted Justice Minister Chung Sung-ho’s resignation letter on the 24th, increasing the number of vacant ministerial positions to two.
“In consideration of the schedule of the audit in October, it was likely that the appointment of tweezers for vacant ministers would be carried out first and the second cabinet would be launched early next year, but there is a growing need to advance the timing of the cabinet reshuffle,” a Cheong Wa Dae official said. “There are opinions that the government should reform the government by conducting a cabinet reshuffle with more than a medium width.”
President Lee is also known to prefer comprehensive personnel appointments rather than appointments at that time. In fact, President Lee appeared on YouTube when he was the head of a local government and expressed his personnel philosophy that “when appointing ministers, they should be appointed all at once.” “Like a herd of buffalo across the river, that’s the operation,” he said. “Since the selection is announced separately, the attack (of the opposition party) is concentrated every time.”
As a result, it is expected that a mid-range reshuffle will be carried out next month, including the positions of ministers of various ministries, which have been discussed for possible replacement. Several active members of the ruling party are mentioned as ministerial candidates. Following the first cabinet, the second cabinet is also likely to be formed at the level of the parliamentary cabinet system.
First of all, Park Kyun-taek and Lee Kun-tae of the Democratic Party of Korea, who were former prosecutors and lawyers for President Lee’s past case in Daejang-dong, are mentioned as replacements for former Minister Chung. Some predict the possibility of appointing Park Joo-min, who has been involved in discussions on prosecution reform while serving in the National Assembly’s Legislative and Judiciary Committee.
Kim Han-kyu of the Democratic Party of Korea and Lee Hyung-il, the first vice minister of finance and economy, are on the list to replace the minister of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. The name of Jungwoo Ha, a former senior presidential secretary for AI future planning, who ran in Busan during the last by-elections and was unsuccessful, is also up and down.
In addition, the possibility of replacing ministers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and the Ministry of Education is mentioned. It is expected that Lim Sung-nam, a former first vice minister who served as ambassador for North Korea’s nuclear program and ambassador to China for a long time in the North American bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, may be selected for the post of foreign minister. Some are paying attention to the possibility of Kim Hyun-jong, former deputy chief of the National Security Office at Cheong Wa Dae.
Some predict that some Cheong Wa Dae staff could be replaced to maximize the effect of personnel reform. Some key aides have reportedly submitted resignations in the last one or two months. Such resignation letters are not rejected and are on hold, and some of them can be replaced in the form of accepting resignations from some of them.
[Reporter Oh Soo Hyun]