Yoon expected to replace foreign minister soon

Foreign Minister Park Jin speaks during a forum at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to replace Foreign Minister Park Jin in the near future, as the top diplomat, who is also a veteran politician, is seeking to run for a fifth term at the National Assembly, according to a high-placed source with direct knowledge of the Cabinet reshuffle.

“The foreign minister recently told President Yoon about his decision to run in the general elections,” the source told The Korea Times. After his talk with Park, the president is said to have decided to replace his first foreign minister.

Park is a four-term lawmaker of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) representing the Gangnam-B electoral district.

“His replacement will come after President Yoon returns from his state visit to the Netherlands,” the source added.

Yoon is scheduled to visit the Netherlands from Dec. 11 to 14 at the invitation of Dutch King Willem-Alexander, becoming the first Korean president to pay a state visit to the European nation since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1961.

After former Unification Minister Kwon Young-se, a fellow four-term lawmaker, returned to the party in June to prepare for the general elections scheduled for April 10, 2024, Park has been seen as the next high-profile politician to quit the Cabinet for the parliamentary race.

His envisaged candidacy comes a week after the Korean port city of Busan failed in a bid to host the World Expo 2030. Last week, Saudi Arabia won the right to host the event after beating Korea 119-29 in a secret ballot held at the Bureau International des Expositions in Paris.

The resounding defeat prompted Yoon to make his first public apology, while triggering criticism over his foreign policy team, including Park who also apologized for the failed bid.

However, Park being replaced has nothing to do with the failed Expo bid, the source said.

“Although the foreign minister will be replaced, it is not about censuring him for the Expo failure. It is just a matter of timing,” the source added.

The affluent Gangnam electorate has traditionally been the conservative camp's home turf, and thus a popular constituency among PPP candidates.

In that sense, it remains to be seen if Park will secure the Gangnam constituency, according to political observers.

Meanwhile, in the wake of Park’s Assembly bid, Yoon is trying to reorganize his national security team. Currently, the top post of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) has been vacated by the sudden departure of its director Kim Kyou-hyun earlier this month.

National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong is expected to move to the NIS, while former Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul is among the candidates being considered to be appointed as the next foreign minister.