President Moon Jae-in enters a meeting of chief and advisors held at the Blue House on the afternoon of the 28th. Regarding the response to Corona 19, President Moon said, “There are concerns that Korea has not sufficiently secured a vaccine or that vaccination will be delayed,” and “This is not true.” On the left is Noh Young-min, president of the presidential secretary. [청와대사진기자단]
A high-ranking government official said that President Moon Jae-in decided to replace Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae this week at a weekly luncheon with Prime Minister Jeong Sye-gyun. The official said to the JoongAng Ilbo that day, “We had a consensus on replacing Minister Chu within the year at the weekly luncheon meeting. The timing of the replacement will coincide with the appointment of the Chief of the High-ranking Public Officials Crime Investigation Department.” He added, “The timing of the replacement of’within the year’ was taken into account in combination with the verification of the head of the airlift and the request of the president on the premise that it will proceed promptly in consideration of the party’s request.”
President Moon and Prime Minister Jung luncheon, discussion on reorganization
Consensus on the change of Chu Mi-ae this week
The date seems to coincide with the appointment of the head of the airlift.
According to passport officials, President Moon was initially planning to replace Minister Chu with other ministries during the second reshuffle scheduled for mid-January next year. It is said that President Moon’s idea was to give Minister Chu the opportunity of a’honorable discharge’. However, the Democratic Party also raised the need for an immediate replacement taking into account public opinion, and Prime Minister Chung made the same argument at regular meetings, eventually leading to a “replacement within the year”. At the weekly meeting that day, Prime Minister Chung made a suggestion by putting weight on the quick change, but President Moon said that there were many expressions of contemplation over Minister Chu’s’honorary discharge’.
It is said that the timing of the replacement of the ministers is likely to be 30 or 31 days considering the verification period for the two candidates for the Minister of Air, which was recommended by the National Assembly. Kim Jin-wook, a senior researcher at the Constitutional Court, and Lee Kun-ri, a vice-chairman of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, who were recommended as candidates for the Deputy Minister of Public Affairs, will select and present one of them.
Beomgye Park
Park Bum-gye and Democratic Party lawmaker Park Bum-gye are likely to be the successors of Minister Chu. He is also in line with President Moon’s personnel principles, who have been a judge and have kept the’exclusion of prosecutors’ in relation to the position of the Minister of Justice. Rep. Park has already worked with President Moon as a civil affairs secretary and legal secretary of the Roh Moo-hyun administration. He has been active in the National Assembly Legislative Judicial Committee for a long time and is also the motive of the Judicial Research and Training Institute with Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol.
However, some opinions say, “It is difficult to say that Park’s stand is definitive.” The key person in the passport said, “I am not sure yet because Congressman Park also has to go through the verification process,” he said. “It is too early to make a decision until President Moon makes a final decision.” Prime Minister Jeong Sye-gyun, who had a regular luncheon with President Moon on that day, said, “Is that right? Will that be the case?”
On the other hand, as this reorganization proceeds as a de facto separate reorganization focused on the replacement of Minister Chu, it is highly likely that the restructuring width will be reduced to the one-point level where one or two ministries are added in addition to the Ministry of Justice. The variable is the move of the Minister of Small and Medium Venture Business Park Young-seon, who is rumored to be running for mayor of Seoul, but if Park’s willingness to run is not clearly confirmed, it may be omitted from this reorganization. President Moon is highly likely to reorganize more than a medium size in mid-January next year after replacing two or three ministries including the Ministry of Justice this week.
In addition, with the reorganization in January, the Blue House is expected to be reorganized, including the replacement of President Roh Young-min, etc. Some argue that the effect of the Cheong Wa Dae renewal should be maximized by replacing Kim Sang-jo, the policy director, centering on the passport.
Reporter Kang Tae-hwa [email protected]