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South Korea's Lee sacks top aides in shakeup
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-06-20 20:50 SEOUL - South Korea's embattled President Lee Myung-bak replaced all his top aides on Friday in a bid to make a fresh start after policy blunders sparked massive street protests against his four-month-old government.
In a widely expected shake-up of the presidential office, Lee sacked his chief of staff and six other senior secretaries who were largely academics and replaced them with seasoned bureaucrats and politicians. "The appointments strike a balance of tested ethical standards and professionalism that will meet the expectations of the public," the presidential Blue House said in a statement. The South Korean leader, who has gone from posting the biggest margin of victory in an open election in the country to becoming its least popular new leader after just months, due partly to anger at his US beef import deal, is also expected to soon replace three or more cabinet ministers. Political commentator Yu Chang-seon said Lee may have quieted public criticism with his apology to South Koreans on Thursday and the shake-up of his inner circle but street protests could again flare up. "A lot will depend on how the final results of the beef talks turn out," Yu said. The results could come on Saturday, officials said. Shares in Seoul were lower on Friday, with investors more worried about inflation and the wavering won currency than changes on the political front. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index closed down 0.56 percent at 1,731.00 points. Srike ends The end of a truckers strike on Thursday that paralysed cargo transport at ports in the export-driven country eased some pressure on Lee, who has seen his pro-business economic reforms delayed while his support rate fell below 20 percent. The deal reached between the union, which went on strike over soaring fuel costs, and major transport companies sets a 19 percent hike in pay as a guideline for negotiations, the transport ministry said in a statement. More than 3,000 of the 13,000 striking truckers were in negotiations for pay hikes and had yet to return to work on Friday, which halted cargo transport for major firms including Hyundai Motor, the transport ministry said. The truckers' strike, along with a brief work stoppage by construction workers, cost South Korea more than $6.5 billion. |
