President names vice ministers for defense, agriculture

SEOUL, Jan. 22 (Yonhap) -- The head of the government procurement office was
named the vice minister of defense Thursday in a minor reshuffle of vice
ministers that also saw the replacement of both two vice chiefs at the
agriculture ministry, the presidential office said.

Chang Soo-man, head of the Public Procurement Service, was tapped to become the
country's second highest defense official in an apparent move to strengthen and
reform the defense ministry's procurement arm, the Defense Acquisition Program
Administration (DAPA).
Min Seung-kyu, a senior aide to President Lee Myung-bak for agriculture, was
named the first vice minister of food, agriculture, forestry and fisheries while
the head of the Korea Forest Service, Ha Young-je, was named the ministry's
second vice minister, according to the presidential office.
The defense ministry has been working for some time to reform its acquisition and
development processes by taking back some of the decision-making processes
currently entrusted to the DAPA, but the efforts have hit strong opposition from
legislators, who believe the move will significantly undermine the transparency
in weapons purchases or developments.
The appointment of Chang, a career administrator and the incumbent head of the
state procurement service, is thus widely viewed as an attempt to solidify the
ministry's grip on the defense procurement office without making any structural
changes that would require parliamentary approval.
Chang will be succeeded by Kwon Tae-kyun, deputy finance minister for trade and
investment, as head of the Public Procurement Service, Cheong Wa Dae said.
Jung Kwang-soo, deputy head of the Korea Forest Service, will be promoted to take
the service's top post after the incumbent head moves.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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