Moon Hee-sang: “Reshuffling after June 20”

On the subject of the exact date of the upcoming cabinet reshuffling, Moon Hee-sang, the presidential policy aide who was also elected to the 17th National Assembly, remarked on May 5 that the period of initiation for the 2nd round of the current administration will “occur after June 20 at the earliest.”

Moon stated such an expectation by appearing on a program of economy-related news provider, MBN, saying, “In case we should reshuffle the cabinet, formalities such as designating the new premier, parliamentary hearings, the appointment approval process, and the authorization of the premier are the responsibilities of the newly appointed ministers.”

Concerning the rumor that Uri Party’s Chief Jung and Parliamentary Leader Kim’s simultaneous entry into the cabinet, he said, “The experiences in national administration and Chong Wa Dae account for a big portion of the foundation for the people who want to run for the presidential seat. Considering that President Roh has continued to focus on his former experiences of taking charge of the Maritime Ministry, the rumor of the two entering the cabinet has reasonable grounds and is admissible.” He added about the opposition party’s objection to rumors of the next premier being Kim Hyuk-kyu by saying, “The debates over the rumors, which do not have any fixed settlement, are unnecessary right now.”

As for Roh’s suggestion to give the rights of nominating a candidate for the position of premier to the party that won a majority in the 17th general election, Moon explained that “the precondition that a monopoly of a certain party in certain area such as more than two thirds of occupation should not be allowed has been baffling. In addition, when the leading party grabs more than a majority of the parliament, it means only the encroachment of the authority by a certain party, decreasing the practical benefit of the theory.”

As for the initiative to reform the press came from a particular part of the party, “concrete measures for reforming the press have not been prepared yet,” remarked Moon, adding, “Though for the sake of completion of reformation, the renovation of the press can comprise one part of the many pillars that hold up the reformation. But, regarding the current vicious circle, economic recovery, making more job openings, and parliamentary reformation should be handled with priority.”

Moon also remarked that “any ideological struggles at this moment are not appropriate; national power should be inclined towards the line of pragmatism. At this moment, when every other country charges into the era of unlimited competition, when one year becomes more important than a hundred years of the past, any chances should not be allowed to slip away due to wasteful struggles.

“When President Roh remarked at the reception with Uri Party’s executives back on April 21 that he will step back for a while to look on the situation of politics, President Roh was maintaining a line of politics in order to boost the mutual politics by cooperating with the parliament,” remarked Moon.

On the other hand, as for his political position in the future, Moon said that “my role right now is to make a balance of power,” as he stressed that his role is only to remain as a bridge between Chong Wa Dae and the parties.

Jung-Hun Kim jnghn@donga.com