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S Korean Unification Ministry faces axe

South Korea's president-elect revealed plans yesterday to scrap the government ministry that has preached reconciliation with North Korea, after pledging to be tougher on Pyongyang than his liberal predecessors.

The Unification Ministry has been at the forefront of South Korea's efforts to reach out to the North, sending the impoverished nation food and other aid.

Though the ministry's duties are to be transferred to the Foreign Ministry, its closure is an important symbolic shift for the government in its interaction with its communist neighbor and efforts to get the North to give up its nuclear programs.

"The issue of unification should be handled consistently with foreign policies," the transition team of conservative president-elect Lee Myung-bak wrote in a report on the proposed changes.

The report said the country has sought to improve relations with the North while at the same time seeking to resolve the standoff over North Korea's nuclear programs. But the two issues were handled separately by the Unification Ministry and the Foreign Ministry, making it difficult to pursue coordinated policies, the team said.

The transition team said it believes eliminating the Unification Ministry would not negatively affect relations with the North, noting Pyongyang expressed hope in its annual New Year's message for maintaining inter-Korean relations.

The Unification Ministry had drawn criticism from conservatives that it was too soft on the communist nation, standing at the center of efforts by past liberal South Korean leaders who aggressively sought reconciliation with the North.

Lee, a conservative who won a landslide victory last month to end 10 years of liberal rule, has pledged to be tougher on North Korea and has said resolving the North Korean nuclear issue would be one of his top priorities.

However, Lee is not expected to sway dramatically from the course of reconciliation between the North and South that began after their leaders met for the first time in 2000. Lee said earlier this week that he would be willing to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-il at any time, but would prefer a summit be held in the South.

The proposed government changes are subject to parliamentary approval. The Unification Ministry declined to comment on the proposal.

The liberal United New Democratic Party, which holds the largest voting block in parliament, said it opposed the plan, saying closing the Unification Ministry would be like "going back to the Cold War era."

The government reorganization plan also calls for closing the Information and Communication Ministry, the Maritime and Fisheries Ministry, the Science and Technology Ministry and the Gender Equality Ministry.

Their functions would be taken over by other ministries.
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