Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sudden Dismissal

On October 2, President Roh Moo-hyun, taking Prime Minister Goh Kun’s proposal into consideration, dismissed Choi Nak-jung, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (MOMAF) from office for having used disdainful words in referring to teachers.

After the morning state affairs meeting held at the Blue House, PM Goh met separately with the President and proposed the dismissal of Minister Choi. Roh accepted the proposal and instructed Jung Chan-yong, the advisor to the president for personnel affairs, to seek a suitable replacement for the post, the Blue House spokesman, Yoon Tae-young said.

Considering Choi’s giving rise to public criticism for debasing teachers on October 1, despite the first warning on September 30 which followed a series of his verbal mistakes, PM Goh judged that Choi’s behavior was inappropriate and suggested his discharge to the President, said Kim Duk-bong, Senior Secretary to the Prime Minister for Public Information.

Appointed a minister on September 19, Minister Choi’s discharge came after 14 days in office. Until a new minister in appointed, Deputy Minister Kim Young-nam will fill in for the post.

Jeong-Hun Kim Seung-Ryun Kim jnghn@donga.com srkim@donga.com