Ocean minister fired

President promptly acts on gaffe-prone Yoon

By Kim Tae-gyu

Yoon Jin-sook

President Park Geun-hye dismissed Oceans and Fisheries Minister Yoon Jin-sook on Thursday for a series of gaffes over the recent oil spill in the waters off the southwestern coastal city of Yeosu.

“President Park decided to fire her at the recommendation of Prime Minister Chung Hong-won,” her spokesman Min Kyung-wook told reporters.

The dismissal came a day after Yoon made a slip of tongue on the oil spill which was caused by a Singapore-registered oil tanker that crashed into GS Caltex’s oil pipelines in the waters off Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, on Jan. 31.

On Wednesday, at a meeting with members of the ruling Saenuri Party to discuss countermeasures, Yoon said the first victim of the spill was GS Caltex and the secondary victims are the residents in the region.

Her remarks stirred public uproar especially from fishermen and residents in the region.

Yoon’s departure has been demanded not only by opposition parties but also by the Saenuri Party and it was Rep. Kim Do-eup of the Saenuri, who pressured Chung to make the suggestion to Park.

Chung replied that he is agonizing over the case, criticizing Yoon by saying “Despite reprimands of the President of late, I really regret that these things continued to take place.”

Yoon became the second minister to leave the senior Cabinet position after former Minister of Health and Welfare Jin Young stepped down in September last year amid disputes on downsizing state allowances to senior citizens.

Yoon has been the subject of criticism for making inappropriate remarks in the wake of the oil spill.

Critics have claimed that she is negligent in her duty as chief of the country’s maritime affairs because she belatedly visited the scene — more than a full day in the aftermath of the accident.

She also said that she did not regard it seriously in the beginning.

In fact, her visit to Yeosu last Saturday worsened the situation because of a photo of her covering her nose with her hand while frowning.

Despite the explanation that she just tried to cover up a cough, many thought that her act, apparently due to the stench there, was inappropriate as a minister, especially in front of many workers and residents who were laboring hard to clean up the spill.

Against this backdrop, even President Park who has maintained her trust in Yoon chided her during the weekly Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

From the perspective of Yoon, the past year would have been nightmarish and the start of this one couldn’t be worse.

Opposition parties refused to approve her, citing her lack of skills and understanding on her mandates. In particular, they took issue with her attitudes over confirmation hearings.