Goh Exercises Right of Personnel Management To Two Deputy-Minister Level Seats

Prime Minister Goh Kun, who has taken charge of the acting president role, has appointed Bae Chul-ho, the former chief of planning and management department of the Ministry of Planning and Budget, to be the deputy minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, and Han Tae-kyu, the former chief of headquarters department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to be the head of Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security.

It was the first time Goh has made personnel changes in the level of state affairs since Roh’s impeachment. It seems that Goh will exercise his right of personnel reshuffling to the members of Board of Audit and Inspection, and the Korea Bank’s finance and currency management department.

Jung Chan-yong, the chief of the presidential personnel division in a briefing on this day, has revealed that “acting President Goh has appointed the successor of the deputy minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, which was upgraded to the deputy minister level, and head of Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security, which remained vacant. It is Goh’s first use of his right of personnel management.”

These personnel changes have been authorized by the personnel recommendation committee of Cheong Wa Dae, and finalized through the resolution of Goh. Jung has avoided descriptive answers to the questions of the reporters such as “have you reported this to Roh?”

Bae graduated from Kyungbok High School and majored in business administration at Seoul National University. He has gone through the seats of the head of the financial coordination department and the chief of planning and management department of the Ministry of Planning and Budget, and the chief specialist of Millennium Democratic Party.

Han graduated from Kyungki high school and majored in administration in Seoul National University. He has gone through the seats of the Europe department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the deputy chief of office management department of the NSC, the Korean ambassador in Greece, and the chief of the headquarters department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Young-Hae Choi yhchoi65@donga.com