(LEAD) 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, a spokesman for 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.
"Although he currently holds the title of a lawmaker, his expertise was the main
reason for his nomination," spokesman Lee Dong-kwan told reporters.
The spokesman earlier said it was unlikely for a politician to get the job
because of what he called the narrow scope of the reshuffle which mostly aimed to
fill economy-related offices with experts in the face of a looming recession.
GNP leader Park Hee-tae earlier said he had strongly recommended Rep. Lee.
A native of Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Lee joined the ruling party
after becoming a lawmaker on proportional representation and served on President
Lee Myung-bak's transition team 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 Harvard University, according to his aide.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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