Interim President Goh Kun Holds First Cabinet Meeting

The first Cabinet meeting since the suspension of President Roh’s executive powers was calmly chaired by acting President Goh Kun on March 16 as the shock of the impeachment has diminished.

“For the stable management of government administration, each ministry and agency should report a concrete timeframe,” Goh said, showing his trademark watertight style of doing government business.

As for diplomacy and national security, Goh said measures should be taken for the security of the country’s military contingency in Iraq, the formation of working groups for the six-nation talks on North Korea’s nuclear program, and contingencies for a possible North/South naval clash in the Yellow Sea during the crab fishing season.

Regarding the economy, he said there should be measures for the retention of the country’s credit rating, the enlivening of investments, the supply of raw materials, the stabilization of necessity prices, and the resolution of an investment fund shortage among small and midsize corporations. Koh said he plans to hold a conference at his residence with international investors and journalists

“Any official who violates political neutrality ahead of the elections should be held responsible regardless of their rankings in the government,” Goh said, stressing the importance of strict impartiality during elections. He said the distribution of snowstorm reparation funds should be inspected periodically and demanded the Cabinet to check the details of government administration.

The president used to have two-staged meetings with a break, of which the latter parts were devoted for free discussion. However, no discussion agenda were presented at the meeting on March 16, which ended within two hours and 20 minutes, shorter than an average of three hours.

President Roh was reported on the meeting in writing. A day earlier, Goh instructed Pak Bong-heum, the presidential chief of staff, to report on what should be informed to the president so that he can remain current on the government administration.

In related news, Goh had lunchboxes for meals in his office since he became acting president. There is security concern for him to use restaurants or cafeterias, but he wanted to be alone to draft overall measures for the government.

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