hankyoreh

President Lee Myung-bak replaced Wednesday two of his scandal-ridden ministers-designate to avoid political wrangling with opposition parties amid growing concerns about the delayed formation of his Cabinet.

YWCA Chairwoman Park Eun-kyung, tapped as Lee's environment minister, offered to withdraw, taking responsibility for the controversy over her alleged involvement in massive real estate speculation.

Park is accused of having violated farmland and real estate laws in the process of investing in properties across the nation over the past decade.

Unification Minister designate Nam Joo-hong, a North Korea expert teaching at Kyonggi University, also offered to withdraw over allegations of illicit real estate dealings and his family members' dual citizenship.

Earlier on Sunday, Lee Chun-ho, nominated as Lee's minister of gender equality and family, withdrew over allegations that she had amassed vast wealth through illicit real estate speculation.

President Lee on Wednesday designated Byun Do-yoon, a director of Seoul YWCA, as minister of gender equality and family. The 61-year-old Byun has long engaged in civic activities to promote the welfare of women and underprivileged citizens.

"Replacements of the unification and environment minister nominees will be announced later this week," presidential spokesperson Lee Dong-kwan said.

"Leaders of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) recommended that a number of problem-ridden Cabinet ministers designate be replaced during their breakfast meeting with Lee at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae."

The president took office in an impressive inaugural ceremony on Monday, but has yet to form his own Cabinet, as the opposition parties have opposed the appointment of some of Lee's ministerial candidates because of their alleged involvement in tax evasion and illicit financial and real estate transactions.

Even Lee's prime minister designate, Han Seung-soo, has yet to take office, as the main opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) has been dragging its feet in approving his nomination due to controversy over his family's alleged illicit real estate speculation.

Han's confirmation vote was scheduled to take place Tuesday, but the UDP boycotted the session, questioning Han's qualifications and accusing him of real estate speculation, underreporting of wealth and inflating his credentials.

The UDP and the minor opposition Democratic Labor Party have a majority in the 299-member Assembly that could enable them to block Han's appointment. The GNP holds 130 seats.

Due to the delayed Cabinet formation, former President Roh Moo-hyun's prime minister and ministers remain in office.

Fearing a voter backlash in the parliamentary elections in April, the GNP has requested the presidential office to consider changing the current Cabinet lineup. Indeed, two-thirds of South Koreans believe that President Lee should replace his Cabinet minister nominees who are suspected of unethical conduct, according to a poll of 700 adults nationwide by the Korea Society Opinion Institute.

Expressing regrets over the absence of his Cabinet while presiding over the first meeting of his senior secretaries, Lee said he will overcome the crisis with a pragmatic attitude.

"My Cabinet has yet to be formed. It's an unavoidable political reality. Political stability is important, but parliamentary stability is more important. We'll overcome the crisis with such an attitude," Lee was quoted by his spokesperson as saying at the meeting.

"Once the Cabinet is formed, however, I prefer to have on-the-spot policy briefings from Cabinet ministers. I myself will frequently go to marketplaces on the weekends to talk to ordinary people. To that end, the presidential protocol has to be changed in a pragmatic way," said the president.

Presidential office sources said that the president may consider replacing some scandal-ridden ministerial candidates in consideration of the political situation and public opinion.

Meanwhile, the president instructed his top aides to take swift measures to curb consumer price hikes as part of his new administration's campaign to revitalize the economy and improve the livelihood of ordinary citizens.

Lee said he takes very seriously people's enormous expectations for economic revival and asked that policy measures be taken to minimize the impact of rising consumer prices.

"The circumstances of the global economy are not favorable.

Price hikes are a global trend. The prices for grains, as well as for raw materials, are rising steeply," Lee said at the meeting.

"The price of flour, for instance, surged by 22 percent in a single day earlier this week, threatening to damage the public's livelihood. The focus of the presidential office's policymaking should be put on the livelihood of ordinary citizens. Economic revitalization and the taming of consumer price hikes would be helpful to them," said the president.


SEOUL, Feb. 27 (Yonhap)