ROH ANNOUNCES CABINET RESHUFFLE

UNCLAS SEOUL 000663 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PINR KS SUBJECT: ROH ANNOUNCES CABINET RESHUFFLE REF: SEOUL 632 WHO'S IN, WHO'S OUT -------------- ¶1. As previewed in reftel, Roh announced the resignation of five Cabinet ministers, four of whom will run in the May 31 regional elections. The Blue House announced replacements for four of the five positions: - Government Administration and Home Affairs: Lee Yong-seop, Blue House Senior Secretary for Innovative Management (vice Oh Young-kyo) - Maritime & Fisheries: Kim Sung-jin, Director of the Small and Medium Business Administration (vice Oh Geo-don) - Information & Communications: Roh Joon-hyung, Vice Minister of MIC (vice Chin Dae-je) - Culture & Tourism: Kim Myung-gon, former President of the National Theater (vice Chung Dong-chae) - Environment: no replacement named (vice Lee Jae-yong) The National Assembly will hold non-binding hearings when it reconvenes for its next extraordinary session in late March/early April. Vice ministers will serve as acting ministers until then. EX-MINISTERS TO RUN FOR OFFICE -------------- ¶2. Four out of five outgoing Cabinet ministers have indicated that they will run for key posts in the May 31 nation-wide regional elections: Oh Geo-don for mayor of Busan; Lee Jae-yong for mayor of Daegu; Oh Young-kyo for governor of South Chungcheong Province; and Chin Dae-je for governor of the Gyeonggi Province. ¶3. A minor controversy has erupted around credible allegations that, in violation of election law, at least a couple of the ex-ministers appear to have engaged in campaign activities while still members of the Cabinet. The opposition has also accused the Blue House of seriously undermining the government's neutrality and fairness in running elections by enlisting incumbent officials for elections. The Grand National Party (GNP) has demanded that PM Lee Hae-chan and Justice Minister Chun Jung-bae, both of whom are leading members of the Uri Party, step down so as to ensure the impartiality of oversight of the elections. VERSHBOW