South Korea's defense minister said Tuesday he has offered to resign following his return from the United States, where he held annual security talks with his U.S. counterpart Donald Rumsfeld last week.
Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung said he expressed his intention to resign Monday when he visited the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae to brief President Roh Moo-hyun on the outcome of the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) talks held in Washington.
"I told the president that I would like to take a rest during the meeting now that I completed the SCM talks. The president just listened," Yoon told reporters. But Yoon indicated that he would keep the job until early November, saying, "I can meet you, reporters, again during a parliamentary hearing scheduled for early next month."
The candidates for the top defense position are Ahn Kwang-chan, director of the Emergency Planning Commission, Kim Jong-hwan, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, former presidential security advisor Kwon Jin-ho and Lee Han-ho, former chief of the Air Force, according to observers.
The president is likely to accept Yoon's resignation and carry out a shakeup of his government's foreign affairs and security lineup, government sources said.
Ban Ki-moon, the next United Nations secretary-general, has already expressed his intention to step down as foreign minister in mid-November and the president has been moving to pick his successor early next month.
Song Min-soon, the chief presidential secretary for security, is said to be the strongest candidate for the foreign minister's post, while Vice Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan is also being mentioned among candidates, according to Cheong Wa Dae and government sources.
In case of Song's appointment as foreign minister, Yoon could emerge as a strong candidate for Song's successor, they said.
They also speculated that the chief of the country's National Intelligence Service could be affected by the upcoming reshuffle and Yoon could be picked as the new NIS chief.
Seoul, Oct. 24 (Yonhap News)
Defense minister says he offered to resign |
