Moon to replace PM, name justice minister

A poster showing a photo of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and President Moon Jae-in is displayed as a gesture to wish for peace on the Korean Peninsula, in Seoul, in this Jan. 15, 2019, file photo,. AP-Yonhap

By Kim Yoo-chul

President Moon Jae-in plans to replace his prime minister and name a new justice minister as part of a cabinet reshuffle ahead of the general election in April, according to a senior lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and sources inside Cheong Wa Dae, Friday.

"The changes will be announced in the first week of December. At the repeated request of senior DPK members, current Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon offered his resignation to President Moon. The party wants Lee to handle the DPK's overall election strategy," a senior official told The Korea Times, adding Moon is set to name Choo Mi-ae, a senior ruling party lawmaker and a long-time ally, as the new justice minister.

When contacted, Cheong Wa Dae sources admitted "some necessary" preparatory work was underway for a Cabinet reshuffle. "We aren't ruling out the possibility of President Moon appointing a new prime minister and replacing some ministers ahead of next year's general election," an official said.

The DPK said Rep. Kim Jin-pyo has accepted an offer from Cheong Wa Dae and the ruling party to replace Lee. Kim, a four-time lawmaker who served as economy minister under the Roh Moo-hyun administration, has an extensive proven track record in handling economic affairs. Speaking to reporters at the National Assembly, last week, Kim said he was ready to take "any given role" to ensure the success of the incumbent administration. His remarks at that time were widely viewed by many as a de-facto acceptance of the prime minister position.

Choo, a former judge and "reformer" is likely to fill the justice minister position. "The DPK Supreme Council recommended Choo as the new minister designate to presidential aides so they could review her personal record. Given Choo's outspoken style and recent remarks on reform of the prosecution, she would be the right fit for justice minister in backing Moon's drive for prosecutorial reform," the DPK official said.

The justice minister position has been vacant since President Moon accepted the resignation of Cho Kuk. A "reformist" law professor and key confidante of the President, resigned as minister citing the burden of an investigation into his family on multiple corruption charges. His appointment had already sparked huge protests that resulted in the polarization of the general public. President Moon made an apology over the conflict and protests surrounding Cho's alleged financial crimes among others.

A largely symbolic post in South Korea where power is concentrated in the executive, the prime minister is the only Cabinet member whose nomination requires National Assembly approval. In general minister-designates must undergo a confirmation hearing at the Assembly, however, the President is not bound by any recommendation made and can appoint his nominees to the assigned posts despite parliamentary disapproval, as Moon has done so in previous cases.

Cheong Wa Dae is also considering replacing some ministers including Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki, Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and Education Minister Yoo Eun-hye.

The April general election will be a key barometer of public opinion of Moon administration for the second half of his term. Despite Moon's initial rapid diplomatic rapprochement with North Korea when he took office in 2017, no visible results have been seen and inter-Korean relations have worsened recently. The economy is also not in good shape, and soaring apartment prices are contributing to the denting of Moon's job approval ratings.

Ruling DPK and presidential aides are aiming to "declare victory" in the April general election to prevent the President suffering from lame duck status, and to move forward with Moon's "engagement-centric" inter-Korean initiatives.

Recent survey results by private local pollsters showed Moon's job approval rating was being maintained at the 48 percent level, while about 47 percent of respondents remain critical of his performance. Moon's job approval rating averaged over 78 percent at the beginning of his administration.

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