Welfare Minister Chin Young is considering stepping down to take responsibility for criticism of government backtracking on welfare pledges including basic pension benefits, reports said Sunday.
Chin is expected to render his resignation in the coming week, which would make the Park Geun-hye administration’s first reshuffle inevitable, the reports said.
The three-term lawmaker has been assisting Park since her presidential campaign and was the deputy chief of the transition committee.
Currently, two minister-level seats are potentially vacant, following the resignation by former Board of Audit and Inspection chief Yang Kun last month and the offer to resign by Prosecutor General Chae Dong-wook earlier this month.
By Lee Joo-hee ()
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
