Diplomats seek immunity from reform drive

SEOUL, Dec. 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's foreign ministry sought to distance itself on Thursday from a wave of personnel reshuffles being carried out under the Lee Myung-bak administration, which critics say is trying to purge figures selected by its liberal predecessor.

The conservative Lee government has recently accelerated its drive to reform
those ministries it views as occupied by liberal-minded bureaucrats, according to
media reports, as a tumultuous first year in office draws to an close
In a possible sign of such a campaign, dozens of top-ranking officials from the
education ministry and the national tax office tendered their resignations
earlier this week.
The presidential office denied any involvement in the resignations, saying the
ministries had made the decision, but many expect similar moves at other
government agencies.
The foreign ministry argues it is in a unique situation.
"We have continually replaced senior officials every six month as there are 154
diplomatic missions abroad," ministry spokesman Moon Tae-young said in his
twice-weekly press briefing when asked whether officials plan to resign.
The foreign ministry is apparently sensitive to change as it has a total of 261
positions that are formally categorized as "high-tier" under the government
hierarchy. The ministry accounts for 17 percent of all high-level posts in the
government.
The Lee administration has already reshuffled its Cabinet, but has delayed making
changes in non-political offices amid a slew of other challenges, including
massive public protests over a decision to lift an import ban on U.S. beef and an
ailing domestic economy.
lcd@yna.co.kr
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