President likely to reshuffle Cabinet after holiday

President Moon Jae-in attends a weekly Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul. Korea Times file

President Moon Jae-in will likely start replacing some Cabinet members soon after the Lunar New Year holiday, largely to allow his lawmaker-turned-ministers to run in next year's parliamentary elections, informed sources said Sunday.

"A Cabinet reshuffle is inevitable because many of the ministers who are also incumbent lawmakers will likely seek to run in the National Assembly elections," an official from the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Seven government ministers are also sitting members of the National Assembly.

A second Cheong Wa Dae official noted that a Cabinet reshuffle will probably begin shortly after Lunar New Year's Day on Tuesday, but said the process would likely be spread over weeks or even months.

"It will not be a one-time deal," the official said, citing the large number of ministers who may wish to return to the National Assembly for re-election.

Parliamentary elections are set to be held April 15 next year. Any government official who wishes to run must resign from their government post at least 60 days in advance.

Local political observers note that Interior Minister Kim Boo-kyum and Transportation Minister Kim Hyun-mee may be among the first to be replaced, along with Culture Minister Do Jong-hwan and Oceans Minister Kim Young-choon.

The four lawmaker-ministers from the ruling Democratic Party were appointed shortly after the Moon Jae-in administration took office in May 2017.

The lawmaker-turned-ministers also include Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae, Agriculture Minister Lee Gae-ho, and Minister of Gender Equality and Family Jin Sun-mee, all of whom were appointed in the latter half of 2018.

The proposed Cabinet reshuffle will also follow the recent replacement of several aides to President Moon at Cheong Wa Dae in what was widely viewed as part of efforts to prepare the government for the latter half of its five-year term. (Yonhap)