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President Roh Moo-hyun accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Goh Kun on Tuesday. Goh, the first prime minister of Roh¡¯s administration, left office after one year and three months. Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hun-jae will assume the acting prime minister's job until a new prime minister is approved by the national Assembly.
It is known that Roh will designate former South Gyeongsang Province governor Kim Hyuk-kyu as the new prime minister in early June and would seek his confirmation from the National Assembly right after the 17th Assembly convenes on June 5. Kim is an Uri Party lawmaker-elect who won his seat through proportional representation.
Roh said during this week¡¯s cabinet meeting on Tuesday that in the planned cabinet reshuffle, only three ministers -- those of Unification, Health and Welfare and Culture and Tourism -- would be replaced. He asked cabinet members to remain stable.
In connection to the timing of the reshuffle, Roh said that he would carry out the cabinet shake-up with the candidate recommendations of the new prime minister after that prime minister has been approved by the National Assembly. According to law, the Assembly has to complete its hearing on the appointed prime minister within 20 days of receiving the president's nomination. Therefore, if the president¡¯s nomination for the new prime minister is submitted to the Assembly as scheduled, the cabinet reshuffle should take place around June 25.
In regards to Goh¡¯s refusal to recommend new cabinet members, Roh said at the cabinet meeting that every person may think and judge differently and it would be best to respect those differences.
(Shin Jeong-rok, jrshin@chosun.com )
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