Cabinet Reshuffle Stalled, Chaos with Resignations of State Council Members
Medical School Expansion, AI Textbooks, Education Also in 'Uncertainty'
Deputy Minister of Gender Equality Maintains Acting Minister Role for Now
Deputy Prime Minister: "Will Keep Pushing Forward on Education"
Amid uncertainty surrounding the cabinet reshuffle at the minister and vice minister level, which was initially scheduled for the end of the year following the emergency martial law situation, the possibility of appointing a minister for the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, which has been without a head for 10 months, is becoming increasingly remote. Lee Ju-ho, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, who was also considered a candidate for the reshuffle, is expected to continue his duties for the time being, but there is a significant possibility that progress on key national policy tasks will be hindered.
According to related ministries including the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family on the 6th, it was reported that the possibility of appointing a minister for the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family by the end of the year was being considered before the president declared martial law. However, as confusion continues with all Cabinet members submitting their resignations on the 4th in relation to the martial law situation, the possibility of a cabinet reshuffle itself has effectively disappeared.
Shin Young-sook, the Vice Minister of Gender Equality and Family, who is currently acting as the minister, is not included among the Cabinet members and is expected to continue acting in her role for the time being. Kim Garo, spokesperson for the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, explained at a regular briefing on the 5th regarding the resignation of all Cabinet members, "(Vice Minister Shin) is not a Cabinet member, so it does not directly concern her," and added, "(The acting minister duties) will continue as usual."
However, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has been without a head for 10 months since the resignation of former Minister Kim Hyun-sook in February. Although Vice Minister Shin is acting as the head, it is difficult to raise the ministry’s voice in cooperation with other ministries and budget discussions without a minister. In fact, the ministry has not held any minister-led press conferences or announced various policies (measures) for several months.
Some critics argue that the ministry is being neglected to implement President Yoon Seok-yeol’s campaign promise to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. With the opposition-dominated National Assembly continuing from the 21st to the 22nd session, it is currently impossible to revise the Government Organization Act to abolish the ministry. At the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family’s National Assembly audit on October 30, Kim Han-gyu, the opposition party’s secretary of the National Assembly’s Women and Family Committee from the Democratic Party, urged the president to appoint a minister, saying, "Even neighborhood community leaders are not left vacant for this long. If we cannot point out the absence of a minister, how can we conduct a national audit on the ministry’s work and point out its faults?"
The aftermath of the martial law situation is also affecting other ministries. Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, who was previously considered a candidate for the reshuffle, not only saw the reshuffle collapse but also faces uncertainty about whether he can continue his duties as the status of all Cabinet members has become unclear.
Especially as calls for the president’s impeachment are spreading nationwide, it has become uncertain whether key government policy tasks such as increasing medical school admissions and AI (artificial intelligence) digital textbooks can continue. However, Lee Ju-ho told reporters at the Government Sejong Complex the day before, when asked if the national momentum had been lost, "No matter how chaotic politics is and how much national momentum declines, education will continue to run at the speed of a 100-meter sprint."
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