S Korea's Lee shakes up Cabinet
SEOUL. May 6. KAZINFORM South Korean President Lee Myung-bak carried out a partial Cabinet shakeup Friday, replacing five ministers; Kazinform refers to Xinhua.
Incumbent labor minister Bahk Jae-wan has been named as new finance minister, replacing Yoon Jeung-hyun, while deputy labor minister Lee Chae-pil has been promoted to fill Bahk's post.
The partial reshuffle affected three others, with Lee replacing environment minister, land minister and food minister. Contrary to previous expectations, however, unification minister Hyun In-taek and justice minister Lee Kwi-nam kept their posts.
The shakeup comes after the ruling Grand National Party suffered a setback in crucial by-elections, which observers here said might push the Lee administration into the lame duck period ahead of key parliamentary and presidential elections slated for 2012; Kazinform cites Xinhua.
See www.xinhuanet.com/english2010 for full version