By Kim Yon-se
Staff Reporter
With about 10 days to go before the inauguration of his government, President-elect Lee Myung-bak has come up with a list of candidates for the Cabinet lineup.
If the naming goes ahead today, which is the deadline for the parties' approval of Lee's government downsizing bills, the nominees will undergo National Assembly confirmation hearings along with Prime Minister-nominee Han Seung-soo.
The hearing procedures will take seven to eight working days, Assembly sources said.
Unless the parties compromise on the bills, Lee could leave the post of minister at each of the disputed ministries vacant for the time being, even after his inauguration on Feb. 25, Lee's aides said Thursday.
Kang Man-soo, a former vice finance minister, will likely be named minister of strategic planning and finance, sources at the transition team said.
Born in Hapcheon, South Gyeongsang Province in 1945, Kang worked as finance minister and commerce minister after becoming a civil servant in 1970.
Kang was also a close confidant of Lee in 2005 when the President-elect was Seoul mayor.
The President-elect is likely to designate Yu Myung-hwan, ambassador to Japan, as his first foreign minister, the sources said. Yu served as vice foreign minister between 2005 and 2006.
Yu, 61, served as presidential secretary for foreign affairs in 1995 with 35 years of experience.
Euh Yoon-dae, former head of Korea University is expected to head the Ministry of Education and Science.
Born in Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province, in 1945, Euh worked as outside director of Hana Financial Group in 2007. He is a scholastic junior of President-elect Lee who graduated from the department of business administration of Korea University.
Actor Yu In-chon will likely be appointed as culture minister, according to the sources. He was a member of the Lee Myung-bak camp during the presidential campaign last year. The 56-year-old is now a professor at ChoongAng University.
Lawyer Kim Kyung-han is favored to become justice minister. He served as chief of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.
Lee Sang-hee, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will likely be nominated as defense minister, they said.
Park Eun-kyung, a renowned activist for environment, is a strong candidate for minister of environment. If named, Park will be the only female Cabinet nominee.
Professor Lee Young-hui is expected to be named to lead the Ministry of Labor, and Won Se-hoon will likely become minister of administration and security.
Politicians are expected to be excluded from the lineup, as Lee made it clear that his Cabinet would not include politicians and those seeking to run in the April 9 general elections, sources said.