Do Je-hae edits news stories as part of the AI team.
Additional Cabinet reshuffle looming
President Moon Jae-in participates in an event at Cheong Wa Dae, Dec. 4. Yonhap
By Do Je-hae
By Do Je-hae
Speculations are rising that President Moon Jae-in will undertake another Cabinet reshuffle in the coming weeks to renew policy momentum as he enters the final phase of his presidency next year.
During a Cabinet reshuffle announced Dec. 4, Moon removed four ministers, including the controversial Land Minister Kim Hyun-mee, who has been blamed for the government's housing policy failures. Their four replacements will undergo confirmation hearings at the National Assembly.
The presidential office has hinted at the possibility of another reshuffle, ahead of the mayoral by-elections in Seoul and Busan and in preparation for policy changes in the coming year. “As the prime minister said previously, the personnel appointments will take place twice,” a presidential aide told reporters. “It is inappropriate to talk in advance about the timing and scope of prospective personnel changes. But there could be new appointments ahead of the by-elections.”
One of the big question marks of the upcoming Cabinet reshuffle is whether Moon will decide to finally replace Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, who has been at the center of controversy over her escalating tension with Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl and the social division on the President's drive to reform the prosecution.
The Ministry of Justice is set to hold a disciplinary hearing on Dec. 10 for the top prosecutor, based on the findings of its internal investigation into allegations of misconduct and interference in sensitive cases. After the hearing, President Moon is expected to decide what to do with the justice minister. Her prolonged conflict with Yoon is seen as one of the factors aggravating public sentiment against the President, whose job approval rating plummeted to a record-low 30 percent range last week. Even some in the ruling Democratic Party of Korea have been underlining the need to replace Choo.
Another big factor in the reshuffle is the mayoral by-elections in Seoul and Busan. Speculations are rising that Park Young-sun, minister of SMEs and startups, is likely to be replaced give that she is being highlighted as a strong candidate for Seoul mayor. The former four-term lawmaker has been recognized as one of the foremost economic experts from the ruling camp, and is being credited with significantly elevating the status of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups which was previously affiliated with the industry ministry with a limited budget and policy capacity.
Choo is also being considered a possible contender for Seoul mayor.
Moon is also expected to change key posts in the presidential office, including his chief of staff Noh Young-min. Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae and Yang Jung-chul, former head of a ruling party-affiliated think tank, among others, are being considered as possible replacements for Noh, who has been criticized for his ineffective responses to the housing issues.