[ISSUE TODAY] Cabinet reshuffle looming as Moon gov't enters 2nd year

President Moon Jae-in presides over a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, May 29. A minor reshuffle of Cabinet members is expected soon, to fill vacant positions and replace underperforming ministers. / Korea Times photo by Koh Young-gwon

By Kim Rahn

As the Moon Jae-in administration enters its second year, expectations are growing that there will be a Cabinet reshuffle as well as replacements of some presidential secretaries soon.

Speculations are rising that some lawmakers-turned-ministers may leave their posts to run for the leadership of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), and ministers whose one year performance has not been good may be replaced.

It is said some other current DPK lawmakers may fill the vacancies.

Cheong Wa Dae said it has not started official discussions about the reshuffle, but rumors and speculation about possible ministerial candidates are abundant.

Ministers under possible replacement

The reshuffle issue has emerged since Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon mentioned it in late May.

Saying it was very rare for a Korean government not to replace a single minister within one year since its beginning, Lee told reporters, "We had evaluations of ministers. I already had initial discussion with Cheong Wa Dae over a partial reshuffle."

According to the law, the prime minister has the right to recommend minister candidates to the president and propose dismissal of ministers.

He hinted that the reshuffle might take place after the June 13 local elections. So it is expected Cheong Wa Dae may soon start the process, such as deciding which posts to replace, finding candidates and screening them.

Lee said not many ministers will be replaced, especially considering Moon's usual stance to put stress on consistency of work. The prime minister said the reshuffle will not be based on political motivation but evaluation of each minister's performance.

"We may change heads of ministries which we think need other ways of dealing with and managing work," Lee said, indicating the targets will be those who showed discord with the basic government policy directions or who gained public criticism for poor responses to problems.

The ministry which needs a new head most urgently is the agriculture, food and rural affairs ministry, as the chief position has been vacant since the middle of March after former Minister Kim Yung-rok resigned to run for the South Jeolla provincial governor post in the local elections.

Rep. Lee Kai-ho of the DPK is on the list of possible candidates, who gave up his bid to run for the governor post and offered the chance to Kim.

On the list of the possible ministers to be replaced is Education Minister Kim Sang-gon, as the ministry has caused confusion in college admission policy.

The education ministry, which had initially planned to announce a new admission policy last August, delayed it for one year as public opinion was mixed on the draft. In April, it again shifted the responsibility to the presidential council on education, telling it to decide the policy.

Environment Minister Kim Eun-kyung is also on the top of the list. Her ministry failed to prepare preemptive countermeasures against confusion in recycling in April, and the President openly rebuked the ministry in a Cabinet meeting at the time.

The civic activist-turned-minister has failed to show her expertise in the environment sector as well.

Rumors are that former DPK floor leader Rep. Woo Won-shik may replace her. Woo has been active in environment-related issues, such as advocating for the victims of toxic humidifier sterilizers.

Employment and Labor Minister Kim Young-joo may be also replaced because the ministry is not making achievements in pursuing the Moon administration's top policy goal ― job creation.

Gender Equality and Family Minister Chung Hyun-back can be also subject to replacement because her ministry didn't play any role while the #MeToo movement was spreading and calls were rising on government action against sexual violence.

But Kim Eun-kyung, Kim Young-joo and Chung are women and replacing all of them may put the Moon administration, which promised to fill at least 30 percent of ministerial posts with women, under pressure, unless it finds female replacements.

Another forecast is some DPK lawmaker-turned-ministers may leave their posts and return to the National Assembly to run for the party's leadership race, which is slated for Aug. 25. Interior and Safety Minister Kim Boo-kyum and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Kim Young-choon may be the cases.

Presidential aides

Some new figures will be picked for presidential secretaries following several resignations.

The political affairs secretary position has been vacant for nearly seven months since former secretary Han Byung-do was promoted to fill a senior position. Jin Sung-joon, secretary for political planning, also recently tendered his resignation to return to the DPK's regional office.

Former secretary for institution improvement Moon Dae-lim also quit earlier this year to run for the Jeju governor position in the local elections, which he failed to win.

It was rumored that Chief of Staff for Policy Jang Ha-sung would leave the post soon, but he denied it, saying he would stay with the President until the nation achieves fair and just economy.

"I may face difficulties and it may take time, but I'll do my best to help the nation achieve income-led growth and fair economy and thus to realize a country of co-prosperity," he said in a message to reporters.

It is said Cheong Wa Dae may divide the functions of the social affairs office under senior secretary Kim Su-hyun because the office deals with a huge variety of affairs, ranging from education to real estate policies. The education and culture-related departments under the office may be separated and become a new office and a new senior secretary post can be made.

The trade secretary post can also be elevated to a senior secretary one and the office can have more staff members, because the secretary's department currently has a small number of staff but has to handle a large amount of trade issues.