Roh looks at cabinet reshuffle: sources

President Roh Moo-hyun and Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook

With Ban likely to head to U.N., Roh said to call for new blood

As Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon has emerged as the clear front-runner to be the next U.N. secretary-general, President Roh Moo-hyun reportedly is considering a cabinet reshuffle, in areas including foreign affairs and security. The director of the National Intelligence Service and the national defense minister will also likely be replaced, according to sources.

A key official of the ruling camp said on October 3, "Since Minister Ban has nearly secured his position as the next U.N. secretary-general, selecting a new foreign minister is unavoidable. As far as I know, the presidential office is prudently considering its foreign policies and security line for the second term."

The official continued, "National Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung, who took office in July 2004, has nearly completed his work on almost every important issue, including defense-related reform bills, and many people think that it is desirable to replace Yoon at the same time as the foreign minister. However, as the South Korea-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) is due to be held on October 20-21, we should hold back on making a decision due to the timing," added the official.

Song Min-soon, chief presidential security advisor, is a figure much-cited as a possible replacement for Ban. Vice foreign ministers Yu Myeong-hwan and Lee Gyu-hyeong have also been mentioned as potential candidates. Regarding this, a key figure of Cheong Wa Dae said, "Song was recognized his ability for eliciting comprehensive joint efforts to resume the six-party talks at the South Korea-U.S. summit on September 14. Moreover, he is trusted by President Roh."

What the Blue House is carefully considering is the fact that the next chief presidential security advisor should be someone that can deftly coordinate issues such as the issue of North Korea's nuclear weapons program. In addition, if Song becomes the next foreign minister, a generational shift will be brought to the foreign ministry, as Song is in his 50s and Ban is in his 60s.