Anchor: President Moon Jae-in carried out a Cabinet reshuffle on Friday, replacing four ministers, including Land Minister Kim Hyun-mee. Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, who is locked in a fierce battle with Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, was not included in the reshuffle.
Choi You Sun reports.
Report: President Moon Jae-in on Friday replaced four Cabinet members -- the ministers of land and transport, interior and safety, health and welfare and gender equality.
Land Minister Kim Hyun-mee will be replaced after serving in the Cabinet since the start of the Moon administration in 2017. She came under fire for the government's real estate policies that have failed to contain soaring housing prices.
Korea Land and Housing Corporation CEO Byeon Chang-heum, an academic who sat on the Presidential Committee for Balanced National Development, was tapped as the new land minister.
Three-term ruling Democratic Party(DP) Rep. Jeon Hae-cheol, a close aide to the president, was nominated to replace Interior Minister Chin Young.
Health Minister Park Neung-hoo is to be replaced by Korea Health Industry Development Institute President Kwon Deok-cheol, as is Gender Equality Minister Lee Jung-ok by Korean Foundation for Women board member Chung Yong-ay.
A senior official at the top office dismissed speculation that the land minister was replaced for failing to curb housing prices, adding that the replacement aims to more actively respond to the housing issue.
The official also declined to speculate on the possibility of an additional reshuffle within this year.
Conspicuously absent from the shakeup was Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, who is embroiled in a nasty spat with Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl over prosecution reforms.
The nominees will all face confirmation hearings at the National Assembly, though the dates have yet to be set.
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.