21 December 2015•Update: 21 December 2015
By Alex Jensen
SEOUL
Five new government ministers were unveiled by South Korea’s presidential office Monday, as more members of the Park Geun-hye administration prepared to enter the race for next year’s April 13 general election.
The last couple of months have seen a series of senior officials step down with the local law requiring civil servants to resign from their posts a minimum of 90 days before running in elections.
A couple of the latest changes were particularly significant because they concerned areas of government that have been under a fierce glare this year -- the economy and education.
Park named ruling party lawmaker Yoo Il-ho in the dual capacity of finance minister and deputy prime minister.
Presidential spokesperson Kim Sung-woo described Yoo as “the right person to pursue economic revitalization by successfully carrying out the government’s economic policy.”
The president admitted last week that she had been suffering from sleepless nights due to the economic challenges facing her country -- Park’s attempted labor reforms aimed at easing youth unemployment have stalled amid anti-government rallies.
Like the other nominees, Yoo will go through a parliamentary confirmation hearing even though he does not technically need the National Assembly’s approval.
Meanwhile, a local university professor Lee Joon-sik was tapped as education minister, which also includes the title of deputy prime minister.
The government’s announcement earlier this year that it will introduce state-published history textbooks for secondary school students sparked public outrage and protests from thousands of academics and activists.
Other positions to be filled include the fields of trade, gender equality and the interior.
Despite the ongoing instability, South Korea’s main opposition NPAD party may struggle to win over seats in April’s election.
Ahn Cheol-soo -- the former co-chair of the NPAD -- vowed Monday to reveal the details of a new party by early February, having succumbed to a power struggle.
The former tech entrepreneur will need to draw votes from the ruling camp as well as threatening his former party’s support base if he intends to make a general election impact.
