The Only Fall in the Final Cabinet Reshuffle... Stirring Inside the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries

Minister Moon Seong-hyeok Encourages Staff Immediately After Minister Nominee Park Jun-young's Resignation... Focus on Successor Appointment

Park Jun-young, nominee for Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, appeared at the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 4th and responded to questions from lawmakers. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] As President Moon Jae-in awarded appointment letters to Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum and new ministers on the 14th, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, where the only ministerial candidate was dropped, is in turmoil. In what is effectively the last cabinet reshuffle of the current administration, the unexpected resignation of an 'internal candidate' minister has significantly lowered the morale of the members.

According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries on the 15th, Minister Moon Sung-hyuk posted a message encouraging employees on the internal intranet after ministerial candidate Park Jun-young expressed his intention to voluntarily resign on the 13th.

Minister Moon reportedly encouraged employees who were feeling a sense of loss due to Park's resignation and urged them to continue their work without wavering amid various pressing issues such as the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Earlier, when the Blue House nominated then Vice Minister Park as a ministerial candidate on the 16th of last month, hardly anyone expected him to be dropped. However, suspicions arose that Park’s spouse illegally imported and sold expensive ceramics upon returning from his post at the UK Embassy, which eventually led to his resignation. It is reported that Park took leave and did not come to work on the 13th, the day he announced his resignation.

A Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official said, "Park was more knowledgeable about the ministry’s work than anyone else and had active internal communication, earning strong trust from employees," adding, "His resignation was completely unexpected, so all employees feel a great sense of loss."

Within the ministry, there are complaints that Park became a scapegoat to break the deadlock in politics. Right after the Blue House nominated ministerial candidates last month, the top candidate expected to be dropped was then Minister of Science and ICT candidate Lim Hye-sook, due to various allegations including multiple overseas trips with family, false address registration, under-the-table apartment contracts, and controversies over her spouse’s assistance in academic papers. However, unlike the Ministry of Science and ICT, which had a female minister candidate, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which needed to resolve real estate issues, Park, who was considered a relatively weak link, was the only one to be dropped.

Former People Power Party Supreme Council member Lee Jun-seok claimed, "The Democratic Party of Korea tried to keep the female minister ratio at 30% from the start by somehow saving candidate Lim while no one helped candidate Park, leading to his voluntary resignation."

Attention is now turning back to who will become the next Minister of Oceans and Fisheries. Inside and outside the ministry, there are opinions that a successor minister should be appointed quickly to stabilize the depressed internal atmosphere and address pressing issues such as the Fukushima nuclear contaminated water discharge and the five-year plan for maritime reconstruction. Some speculate that Minister Moon might be retained.

There is also interest in who will take the position of Vice Minister, who will handle practical affairs. The expected candidates for the next Vice Minister are Eom Ki-doo, Director of Planning and Coordination Office; Song Sang-geun, Director of Marine Policy Office; and Kim Jun-seok, Director of Fisheries Policy Office?all classmates from the 36th Administrative Examination. It is reported that Park will maintain the Vice Minister position until a successor is appointed.

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