ROH TAPS ANTI-CORRUPTION CZAR TO LEAD MOJ

C O N F I D E N T I A L SEOUL 002685

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/14/2016
TAGS: PGOV KS
SUBJECT: ROH TAPS ANTI-CORRUPTION CZAR TO LEAD MOJ

Classified By: A/DCM Joseph Y. Yun. Reasons 1.4 (b/d)

SUMMARY
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1. (C) In a surprise announcement, President Roh on August 8
nominated Kim Song-ho to be the next Justice Minister. The
nomination put an end to a fierce fight between the Blue
House and the Uri Party over the fitness for duty of Roh's
initial choice for the position, long-time Roh crony Moon
Jae-in. Roh's uncharacteristically pragmatic and
conciliatory decision is a sign of his waning authority. Roh
also named 13 new vice-ministers to various positions in
multiple government agencies. END SUMMARY.

JUSTICE NOMINEE KIM SONG-HO
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2. (SBU) On August 8, President Roh nominated Kim Song-ho to
succeed Chun Jung-bae as Justice Minister. Kim, who served
for the past two-and-a-half years as Secretary General of the
Korea Independent Commission Against Corruption (KICA),is a
native of Gyeongsang Province. Kim graduated from Korea
University in 1972 and later received an MA in law from
George Washington University in 1987 and a Ph.D from Kunkook
University in 2003. He worked as a public prosecutor from
1974 until 2004, when he was appointed to lead the KICA.
Importantly, Kim appears to enjoy support from both the
ruling and opposition parties. Several Uri Party and GNP
officials told us that Kim's nomination would not face
opposition from the National Assembly.


3. (SBU) Kim's nomination ended the candidacy if Moon
Jae-in, Roh's close friend and former Senior Secretary for
Civil Affairs, known to be strongly favored by Roh. Many in
both the ruling and opposition parties opposed Moon as
another in a string of high-level appointments based on
fidelity to the President rather than qualifications for the
job. A Blue House official told us on August 8 that Roh
backing down from his preference to nominate Moon should not
be considered a defeat; rather, the President was accepting
the "will of the people." But clearly, it will be seen as
another sign of Roh's declining power and influence.

OTHER NOMINATIONS
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4. (U) In other August 8 personnel decisions, Roh nominated
Kwon Oh-ryong to be Vice Home Affairs Minister and head of
the Civil Service Commission; Choi Yang-shik to be Vice
Minister of Government Administration and Home Affairs; Park
Yang-woo to be Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism; Park
Hae-sang to be Vice Minister of Agriculture and Forestry; Lee
Eun to be Vice Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries;
Chung Hae-bang to be Vice Minister of Planning and Budget;
Lee Sun-hee to be Commissioner of the Korea Defense
Acquisition Program Administration; and Kwon Dong-ock to be
Commissioner of the Korea Coast guard. These nominations,
like the Justice Minister nomination, are not subject to
National Assembly confirmation.

COMMENT
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5. (C) With the Seoul High Court currently embroiled in a
graft scandal (on August 7, prosecutors alleged that a former
High Court judge had accepted money and gifts worth over
$100,000) it was prudent for President Roh to select as
Justice Minister nominee the ROKG's anti-corruption czar.
Kim Sung-ho's nomination will also, to some extent, help mend
the rift between Roh and the Uri Party, which strongly
opposed the nomination of Moon Jae-in. After being stung by
the August 1 resignation of Education Minister Kim
Byong-joon, who served for 13 days before being forced out in
a plagiarism scandal, the Uri Party was loathe to accept
another ill-advised nomination. The Kim nomination was also
noteworthy because it was uncharacteristically pragmatic and
conciliatory. President Roh has an established record of
following his own instincts, often to the chagrin of his own
party. Backing down from nominating Moon is another sign of
his waning presidential authority in the wake of disastrous
local elections and plummeting public support.
VERSHBOW