Lee Myung-bak, South Korea’s embattled president, yesterday replaced his agriculture, welfare and education ministers in an attempt to assuage public anger over his government’s decision to re-open the domestic market to US beef.
The reshuffle was smaller than that expected when the entire cabinet tendered its resignation almost a month ago at the height of nationwide protest rallies and analysts expressed doubt whether it would be sufficient to placate the protesters.
Han Seung-soo, prime minister, and Kang Man-soo, finance minister, will retain their positions.
“Economic difficulties are a global phenomenon. It is not desirable to frequently change top policymakers in charge of economic affairs,” said Lee Dong-kwan, the president’s spokesman, in announcing the changes.
However, Choi Joong-kyung, the vice finance minister in charge of foreign-exchange policy, was fired; the Korean won has declined 10.5 per cent against the US dollar this year. Kim Dong-soo, a deputy finance minister, will replace him.
Korea has been in a state of upheaval for more than two months, as public disappointment with Mr Lee’s first months as president – he took office in February – came to a head over his decision to allow US beef back into the Korean market.
US beef imports were suspended in 2003 after a mad cow scare in the US but Seoul last year accepted, as a side agreement to a bilateral trade deal with Washington, to resume imports if the meat was declared safe by the World Organisation for Animal Health, which it was.
Shops selling US beef – which is about a third of the price of Korean beef –have been inundated with customers since imports resumed last week.
But many Koreans remain sceptical about the safety of American meat, with some media even reporting that Koreans have a unique gene that makes them particularly susceptible to mad cow disease.
Thousands of people have been protesting in anti-government demonstrations almost every day for the last two months, turning central Seoul into a riot zone. About 50,000 people were in the streets on Saturday night.
The three ministers most directly related to the beef issue were replaced yesterday.
Ahn Byong-man, a presidential advisor for state future planning, will become eduction and science minister; Jang Tae-pyoung, the former secretary general of a state anti-corruption panel, was designated agriculture minister; and Jeon Jae-hee, a lawmaker in the ruling Grand National Party, was nominated as health minister.
All must be confirmed by the national assembly, but opposition lawmakers have been boycotting the body because of the beef dispute, meaning it has not opened since the parliamentary term officially began on May 30.
