Yoon's removal sparks fears about relations with US

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun's dismissal of his foreign minister drew widespread media criticism yesterday as his office tried to calm fears of a disruption in relations with the US.

There was no immediate word on a replacement for Foreign Minister Yoon Young-kwan, ousted on Thursday in a spat over criticism that his ministry had disregarded Roh policies that would shift Seoul away from traditional closeness to Washington.

The National Security Council (NSC), a presidential body whose officials advocating an "independent" foreign policy appeared to have prevailed over the Foreign Ministry's pro-US line, issued a statement stressing continuity in Seoul's ties with Washington.

"The personnel change in the Foreign Ministry will not affect Republic of Korea-US relations in any way," NSC spokeswoman Lee Ji-hyun said in a statement.

But the sudden departure of Yoon, a moderate career acad-emic, triggered a raging debate across editorial pages and in parliament over the wisdom of shaking up the foreign-policy team at a crucial time and over the philosophy behind the move.

South Korea and the US are striving to bring North Korea to the table for talks to resolve a crisis over its suspected nuclear arms programs. The diplomacy also involves China, Japan and Russia.

The dispute -- billed by local media as a battle between the "Alliance Faction" and the "Independence Faction" -- erupted late last year with media reports that professional diplomats had disparaged members of Roh's team as amateurish.

Mainstream newspapers said the diplomats could have been disciplined without the drastic and risky removal of Yoon.

They also questioned the Roh team's perception of national interest.

"Foreign policy must rest on cool-headed calculations of what would promote the national interest," said the centrist Joongang Ilbo newspaper in an editorial.

"But sadly, our reality is a dogmatic dichotomizing where alliance proponents are cast as anti-nationalistic and the proponents of an independent foreign policy as the patriots," the editorial continued.