Presidential office denies talk of Cabinet reshuffle

By Yoo Cheong-mo
SEOUL, Nov. 10 (Yonhap) -- The office of President Lee Myung-bak on Monday denied
growing media speculation about an imminent shakeup of the Cabinet, saying the
president has no intention to change his Cabinet lineup in the near future for
political purposes.
"President Lee is not willing to reshuffle his Cabinet just for the purpose of a
turnaround in domestic politics. He will change his Cabinet ministers only when
there is a need," presidential spokesman Lee Dong-kwan said.
The spokesman's remark came as a leading vernacular daily paper reported earlier
on Monday that the office of Prime Minister Han Seung-soo has conducted a
sweeping assessment of all Cabinet ministers' job performance in preparation for
a large-scale shakeup before the end of the year.
The speculation further gained momentum after opposition parties fiercely
demanded the dismissal of Finance Minister Kang Man-soo for a series of policy
blunders and controversial remarks.
"The job performance assessment of Cabinet ministers is an ordinary occurrence.
It is not appropriate to link the assessment to a Cabinet shakeup," said
spokesman Lee.
ycm@yna.co.kr
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