President Park Geun-hye on Wednesday chose Kim Byong-joon, a former policymaker for the late liberal President Roh Moo-hyun, as the new prime minister to handle the political unrest caused by the Choi Soon-sil scandal.

The annoucement came as a surprise, as there had been no prior communication with political parties, including her own ruling Saenuri Party. Despite the move being intended as a gesture of reform, it backfired.

Park’s liberal foes responded in anger, saying the president “lacks understanding of her situation” and was pushing unilaterally for a Cabinet shake-up without offering a proper apology or explanation for the scandal.  

“President Park Geun-hye has decided to carry out a reshuffle of the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Public Safety and Security,” said presidential spokesperson Jung Youn-kuk in an announcement.

Should the appointment be confirmed by the National Assembly, the prime minister nominee is likely to exercise an expanded range of power, reflecting calls for a decentralization of presidential authority.

Kim, who is currently a professor at Kookmin University, had previously been mentioned as a possible candidate for the position, along with ranking figures of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, such as Kim Chong-in and Sohn Hak-kyu.

“Kim, who is also a renowned scholar of public administration, served as presidential policy director and education deputy prime minister in the Participatory (Roh) Government,” Jung explained.

“Considering his value, knowledge and experience, Kim is deemed able to overcome the current challenges and securely steer the Cabinet for the sake of the nation’s future.”

The Blue House also named Yim Jong-yong, the incumbent chairman of the Financial Services Commission and former chief of NH Financial Group, as deputy prime minister and finance minister.

Former Gender Equality Vice Minister Park Seung-joo was named minister of public safety and security upon the recommendation of the prime minister-designate.

The Cabinet reshuffle, though considered a crucial step to break through the state affairs stalemate, faces dim prospects at the National Assembly, with the opposition vowing to thwart it. The three opposition parties combined control an absolute majority of South Korea’s National Assembly.
The Saenuri Party’s leadership had recommended Kim as prime minister in the first place, so they had little to complain about. However, the party’s rank-and-file members criticized the way the scandal-ridden president was dealing with her crisis of confidence. 

“The shake-up is a powerful expression (of the president) to normalize the endangered state affairs,” the Saenuri Party said through a written statement. “We urge the opposition to adopt a responsible stance and fully cooperate in the reshuffle.”

The opposition camp blasted the president for once again shutting out public sentiment from key decisions.

“The president, by selecting a former opposition figure, is trying to make it look as if the new Cabinet is neutral and reformative,” said Rep. Woo Sang-ho, floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party. “But the truth is she only wants to organize a Cabinet that suits her needs.”

The announcement came three days after Park decided to send away most of her closest assistants amid plunging approval ratings and growing calls for her to resign.

She named former prosecutor Choi Jai-kyeong as new senior presidential secretary for civil affairs and former parliamentary spokesperson Bae Sung-rye as chief of public relations. The presidential chief of staff position, as well as two senior presidential secretary seats, remain vacant.

By Bae Hyun-jung  (tellme@heraldcorp.com)