President taps ruling party lawmaker as administration minister

SEOUL, Jan. 30 (Yonhap) -- Representative Lee Dal-gon of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) was tapped Friday as the new minister for public administration and security, an official at the presidential office said.

The 55-year-old is to replace Won Sei-hoon, who has been named to head the state
spy agency.
Lee's nomination came nearly two weeks after Won was picked as the new chief of
the National Intelligence Service in a minor Cabinet reshuffle that also replaced
the unification minister.
The nomination was originally expected much earlier but had been delayed amid
public criticism of the government and the public administration minister over a
recent clash between police and protesters who faced eviction due to a land
redevelopment project. The ensuing struggle left six dead, including one member
of the police unit.
The final pick is a reversal from the president's earlier stance that he would
not name a politician to the government post this time.
"We have repeatedly pointed out that it will be difficult for a politician to be
given a post this time because of the narrow scope of the reshuffle and because
the reshuffle mostly aims to replace economy-related ministers," Lee Dong-kwan, a
spokesman for the presidential office, told reporters.
GNP leader Park Hee-tae said he had strongly recommended Rep. Lee.
A native of Seoul, Lee joined the ruling party after becoming a lawmaker on
proportional representation and served on President Lee Myung-bak's transition
early last year.
He graduated from Seoul National University in 1977 and received his master's
degree in public administration in 1981. He received his doctorate in political
science from California State University in 1983.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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