Asia-Pacific News

South Korean president names new chief of staff

Jul 8, 2010, 14:44 GMT

   Seoul - South Korean President Lee Myung Bak on Thursday named Labor Minister Yim Tae Hee, a close ally, as his new chief of staff ahead of a planned cabinet reshuffle.

   The 54-year-old, who headed Lee's presidential campaign, is to replace Chung Chung Kil, who resigned after the ruling Grand National Party's defeat in local elections last month.

   The elections were regarded as a crucial test for Lee's reform agenda as he enters the second half of his five-year term.

   Last weekend, Premier Chung Un Chan also offered his resignation after the government failed to get a plan to relocate several ministries from Seoul to Sejong City, a newly developed city 150 kilometres south of the capital, through the National Assembly.

   It remained unclear whether the president accepted Chung's resignation, who has been in office since September.