President Park Geun-hye will likely nominate her new chief of staff early this week in an effort to regain public confidence and give her policy drive fresh momentum, sources said Sunday.
Last week, Park accepted the resignation of her unpopular chief of staff, Kim Ki-choon. She has been under pressure to sack Kim, a septuagenarian politician, over a series of incidents, including the leak of sensitive presidential documents.
 |
| President Park Geun-hye will nominate new chief of staff (Yonhap) |
According to the sources, Park plans to complete the selection of the new chief of staff before Wednesday, the second anniversary of her taking office.
Announcing a small-scale Cabinet reshuffle last week, senior presidential press secretary Yoon Doo-hyun said Kim’s replacement will be announced soon after Lunar New Year’s Day, which fell on Feb. 19.
Some sources said Park has already picked Kim’s replacement from a shortlist of candidates and has only to unveil the choice.
Among the candidates is Hyun Kyung-dae, a former lawmaker who serves as executive vice chairperson of the National Unification Advisory Council, according to them.
Last week’s Cabinet reshuffle affected four ministers, including the unification minister, who handles inter-Korean affairs.
The Cabinet shake-up came a day after Lee Wan-koo, Park’s choice for prime minister, won parliamentary endorsement. It is widely seen as Park’s attempt to try and refresh her team as she enters her third year in power.
It also came after Park’s approval rating hit a record low of 29 percent amid public backlash over a series of policy blunders.
In South Korea, the President usually carries out a Cabinet reshuffle or other personnel changes in a bid to overcome crises and start afresh with a new lineup. (Yonhap)
