Pres. Lee Conducts Sweeping Vice Minister Reshuffle

President Lee Myung-bak appointed Friday Park Young-joon as vice minister in charge of energy and national resources policy. Park had served as vice minister for government policy at the Prime Minister`s office.

The president also named 22 other vice minister-level officials, including former Korea Railroad supervisor Kim Hae-jin as vice minister for special affairs.

The appointments come just five days after Sunday’s Cabinet reshuffle and are believed to be part of President Lee’s drive to form his Cabinet for the second half of his five-year term and stabilize the public sector.

Vice Strategy and Finance Minister Lee Yong-gul was appointed vice defense minister, becoming the second consecutive civilian to assume the post. Lee Yong-gul’s predecessor Chang Soo-man, who served more than 18 months at the position, will continue seeking defense reform by taking over the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.

Yook Dong-han, deputy minister for administration affairs at the Prime Minister’s Office, replaced Park Young-joon. Ahn Sang-geun, former deputy governor of Gyeonggi Province and a close aide to Prime Minister-designate Kim Tae-ho, was named deputy minister for general affairs at the Prime Minister’s Office.

Yoo Sung-kull, chief of the budget office at the Strategy and Finance Ministry, was promoted to vice minister, while Seol Dong-keun, superintendent of Busan schools, was appointed first vice education minister. Hanyang University professor Kim Chang-kyung, a former presidential adviser for scientific affairs, was named second vice education minister.

Kim Nam-seok, a senior member of the ruling Grand National Party’s political committee, was named first vice minister of public administration and security. Ahn Yang-ho, a standing member of the central administrative committee of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, was made second vice minister.

Mo Cheol-min, head of the National Library of Korea, will serve as first vice minister for culture, sports and tourism and Park Sun-kyoo, former presidential spokesman, as second vice minister.

Kim Jae-soo, head of the Rural Development Administration, and Chung Seung, director of the Korea Institute of Planning and Evaluation for Technology of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, were both appointed vice ministers of food, agriculture, forestry and fisheries.

Choi Won-young, head of the planning and coordination office of the Health and Welfare Ministry, was promoted to vice minister.

Chung Chang-soo, head of the planning and coordination office of the Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs Ministry, and Kim Hee-kook, deputy minister of the Office of National River Restoration, were promoted to vice minister.

Thirteen of the 23 vice ministers were promoted from the inside in this reshuffle. Eleven of them hail from the Gyeongsang provinces while the remaining 12 are from other regions.

yongari@donga.com