South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun yesterday named new ministers of finance, education and budget, his office said in a statement, the first Cabinet shake-up since March.
Roh named Kwon O-kyu, a presidential aide and former South Korean ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, to head the Ministry of Finance and Economy, replacing Han Duck-soo, who submitted his resignation on Friday.
Kwon was "seen suitable for the post as someone who would devise a comprehensive package that well connects social welfare policy and economic policy" the statement said.
Kim Byong-joon, a former policy aide to Roh, was named education minister, replacing Kim Jin-pyo, who offered to step down after a food poisoning incident in schools sickened thousands of students.
Han and Kim Jin-pyo also served as deputy prime ministers.
Roh also named Chang Byoung-wan as budget minister.
The appointments were subject to parliamentary approval.
Roh will be hoping that the reshuffle boosts the popularity of his three-year old administration which suffered a setback in elections in May, when the conservative opposition won 12 of 16 key regional posts.
Though growth in the world's 10th-largest economy slowed last year to 4 percent from 4.6 percent in 2004, the central bank and the government expect it to rebound this year, expanding by about 5 percent.
Economists don't expect major changes in economic policy as a result of the shake-up, although some expect Kwon's closeness to the president to smooth policy coordination.
Han, who has a doctorate in economics from Harvard University and formerly served as trade minister, became finance minister in March last year.
Roh also promoted National Tax Service Deputy Commissioner Jun Gun-pyo to commissioner.
IDENTITY: A sex extortion scandal involving Thai monks has deeply shaken public trust in the clergy, with 11 monks implicated in financial misconduct Reverence for the saffron-robed Buddhist monkhood is deeply woven into Thai society, but a sex extortion scandal has besmirched the clergy and left the devout questioning their faith. Thai police this week arrested a woman accused of bedding at least 11 monks in breach of their vows of celibacy, before blackmailing them with thousands of secretly taken photos of their trysts. The monks are said to have paid nearly US$12 million, funneled out of their monasteries, funded by donations from laypeople hoping to increase their merit and prospects for reincarnation. The scandal provoked outrage over hypocrisy in the monkhood, concern that their status
The United States Federal Communications Commission said on Wednesday it plans to adopt rules to bar companies from connecting undersea submarine communication cables to the US that include Chinese technology or equipment. “We have seen submarine cable infrastructure threatened in recent years by foreign adversaries, like China,” FCC Chair Brendan Carr said in a statement. “We are therefore taking action here to guard our submarine cables against foreign adversary ownership, and access as well as cyber and physical threats.” The United States has for years expressed concerns about China’s role in handling network traffic and the potential for espionage. The U.S. has
A disillusioned Japanese electorate feeling the economic pinch goes to the polls today, as a right-wing party promoting a “Japanese first” agenda gains popularity, with fears over foreigners becoming a major election issue. Birthed on YouTube during the COVID-19 pandemic, spreading conspiracy theories about vaccinations and a cabal of global elites, the Sanseito Party has widened its appeal ahead of today’s upper house vote — railing against immigration and dragging rhetoric that was once confined to Japan’s political fringes into the mainstream. Polls show the party might only secure 10 to 15 of the 125 seats up for grabs, but it is
The US Department of Education on Tuesday said it opened a foreign funding investigation into the University of Michigan (UM) while alleging it found “inaccurate and incomplete disclosures” in a review of the university’s foreign reports, after two Chinese scientists linked to the school were separately charged with smuggling biological materials into the US. As part of the investigation, the department asked the university to share, within 30 days, tax records related to foreign funding, a list of foreign gifts, grants and contracts with any foreign source, and other documents, the department said in a statement and in a letter to
RSS