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President Lee Myung-bak is reportedly considering offering the premiership to his arch-rival, former Grand National Party chairwoman Park Geun-hye, it emerged on Tuesday.
A presidential official said to save the government from its slump in public approval, GNP officials and leaders from various walks of life have recently recommended that President Lee give a role to former GNP chairwoman Park, and Lee is considering making her prime minister.
A meeting between the two is also apparently on the cards. A GNP official said GNP members have reached some consensus on the need to recommend Park as prime minister, and there are moves to seek a meeting with Park¡¯s aides, who are apparently split over whether she should accept the post. There has been no response from Park herself.
In his weekly meeting with Lee on Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Han Seung-soo tendered the resignations of the entire Cabinet over the debacle triggered by the government¡¯s decision to reopen the Korean market to U.S. beef.
The administration stands to form a whole new Cabinet 107 days after its inauguration, following the resignations of presidential chief of staff Yu Woo-ik and senior presidential secretaries.
Lee is considering replacing more than half of the senior presidential staff, including the chief of staff, and a considerable number of Cabinet ministers including Prime Minister Han; Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Chung Woon-chun; Health, Welfare and Family Affairs Minister Kim Soung-yee; and Education, Science and Technology Minister Kim Doh-yeon, as early as Friday.
The presidential official promised the new dignitaries will be people of ¡°probity and competence¡±, drawn chiefly from among politicians and bureaucrats. Han and other Cabinet members will continue in their posts until their resignations are officially accepted.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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