Deputy Minister Personnel '2nd Cabinet Reshuffle' Warming Up... Ministers Choo and Park Top Priority for Replacement

Changes in Cabinet Reshuffle Following President Moon's New Year Vision... Political Schedule Including Seoul Mayor By-election, Presidential Election, and Local Elections Also Variables

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] The Blue House is preparing once again for a 'cabinet reshuffle.' The personnel changes involving 10 practical vice-minister-level officials in the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and others on the 23rd were a warm-up for the 'second cabinet reshuffle.'

This move is interpreted as a strategy to stabilize the organization through the appointment of bureaucrat-centered vice ministers and then convey President Moon Jae-in's personnel message through ministerial replacements. Accordingly, there is growing speculation that the second cabinet reshuffle, centered on ministerial changes, will be carried out in January next year, beyond this year.

The top candidate for the reshuffle is Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae, who has expressed her intention to resign. More than 340,000 people have joined a Blue House petition on the 24th urging reaffirmation of Minister Choo, indicating a variable in the ruling party's support base. However, the prevailing analysis is that the plan to replace the Minister of Justice itself will not change.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, even if the second cabinet reshuffle takes place, considering the schedule of the National Assembly's confirmation hearings, Minister Choo is expected to continue her duties for a while. Among the ruling party's Seoul mayoral candidates, Park Young-sun, Minister of SMEs and Startups, who is leading in opinion polls, is a variable due to her long consideration regarding her political future. If she decides to run for Seoul mayor, she will be mentioned as the top candidate for the second cabinet reshuffle. If she is not included in this reshuffle, the 'political timetable' could be disrupted.

What is noteworthy is that after the vice ministers of the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport were replaced last November, the ministers of these departments were also replaced. This time, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were included in the vice minister personnel changes. This is why there is keen interest in whether Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye and Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha will be included in the upcoming second cabinet reshuffle. It implies that the scope of the second reshuffle could be broader than expected.

President Moon will enter the fifth year of his term next year. After the by-elections for the Seoul and Busan mayoral offices, the 'presidential race' will effectively begin in earnest. To secure momentum for national projects that President Moon is focusing on, such as the Korean New Deal, it is necessary to refresh the atmosphere within the cabinet and the Blue House. Personnel changes must be made before the political situation is rapidly engulfed by the election vortex to strengthen the Blue House's national governance plans.

The whereabouts of Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, who may run in the next presidential election, and Presidential Chief of Staff Noh Young-min, who may run for governor of Chungbuk Province, are also subjects of interest. Replacing the prime minister is a decision that carries political risks but can be seen as a symbolic choice for government reform. The remaining week of this year for President Moon is expected to be a time of contemplation related to the blueprint for the second cabinet reshuffle.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.