Cabinet Reshuffling Anticipated to Be New Organizing of the Cabinet

President Kim Dae-Jung said on reshuffling the cabinet on the 14th, "The series of `Gates` have stopped me from concentrating on reshuffling the cabinet, but circumstances are changing, and I am seriously considering it and collecting the opinions of experts in every field."

After President Kim announced this at the New Year`s Press Conference, and avoided making specific reference to the issue by saying, "I don`t have any plan for reshuffling the cabinet yet."

In relation to this, an official of the Cheong Wa Dae said, "President Kim is examining whether every cabinet member is up to the task, and as far as I know, the reshuffling of the cabinet will be completed in February. It would actually be a new organization of the cabinet except for one or two positions."

At the conference, President Kim announced, "I`ll improve the matter of personnel by humbly accepting the criticisms. To secure impartial appointment, regionalism, school ties, and inside connections should be excluded."

About the public officials` corruptions related with venture business and high officials` suspected involvement, President Kim apologized to the nation by saying, "I was shocked and feel very ashamed. I will scrape out every kind of corruptions with a firm determination to restart the national administration in the remaining one year."

And President Kim emphasized, "I will guarantee the independence of the Prosecution, and advance the establishment of the Special Prosecutor`s office as I promised. With the lessons from the corruptions of several venture enterprises, I will never step back from wiping out corruption from the government and every sector of society."

On the economy, President Kim said, "We anticipate the economic growth rate this year to be about 4 percent. We will introduce resolute measures that calm down the prices and unemployment rate at 3 percent and provide jobs to the 300,000 young people who are unemployed."

And he added, "During the remainder of my term, I will never intervene in partisan politics and elections, and only concentrate on the tasks of national administration like the recovery of the economy and hosting the World Cup successfully. I am ready to meet the presidents of opposition parties at any time, as I am liberated from the party (by resigning as president of the ruling New Millennium Democratic Party)." On the matter of whether local elections are conducted rather early or not, he said, "I will conform to what the ruling and opposition parties agree."

President Kim clearly showed that he would maintain the party register by saying, "I do not have any intention and necessity to leave NMPD, as my affection for NMPD has not changed at all."

ysmo@donga.com