President Roh Moo-hyun's Cabinet line-up for his last year in office is taking shape. Roh looks set to keep a tight grip on government in his last year by replacing both Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook and Chief of Staff Lee Byung-wan this month. The likeliest candidates are Han Duk-soo, the former finance minister, as new prime minister and Moon Jae-in for new chief of staff, though Cheong Wa Dae says no final decision has been made.
The problem is the nomination of Moon, who is a close Roh confidant and served as a presidential aide for 29 months until he resigned last May. Moon is said not to be politically tinctured but at the center of Roh's clique. He could be the right man to help Roh halt the power hemorrhage of his last, lame-duck year in office.
The return of Moon is closely related to the possible return of Han Duk-soo. Han was not considered a promising card at the initial stage of candidate selection, when the former science and technology minister Kim Woo-sik was seen as a likely suspect. However, Cheong Wa Dae has reportedly concluded that a Moon-Kim option would look bad since it would mean two close Roh aides in the two important posts. That is where Han, who is not seen as a Roh loyalist but understands the president well, comes in.
Another candidate for prime minister was Jeon Yun-churl, the incumbent chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection. However, Jeon was dropped in the middle of the selection process since his tenure expires in November and he served as chief of staff of former president Kim Dae-jung.
President Roh has been accused of a "revolving door" style of personnel appointments since he often handpicks key appointments from among those who have served him in the past.
