Lee Sang-joo Named S.Korean Presidential Top SecretarySouth Korean President Kim Dae- jung has named Lee Sang-joo the presidential chief-of-staff replacing Han Gwang-ok, according to a news release issued by the Presidential Office Sunday.Lee, president of Academy of Korean Studies hailing from North Kyongsang Province, graduated from Seoul National University. He once served as president of Kangwon National University, Ulsan University and Hallym University. Lee's appointment showed that President Kim has begun shaking up his senior presidential secretariat team. It came two days after Kim reshuffled his cabinet, changing the heads of five ministries Friday,after the ruling coalition government broke up last Tuesday as the National Assembly, parliament, passed a non- confidence motion against Unification Minister Lim Dong-won last Monday. The South Korean cabinet, the senior presidential secretariat team and the leadership of the ruling Millenium Democratic Party (MDP)resigned en masse due to the parliamentary passage of the non- confidence motion. South Korean opposition Grand National Party (GNP) submitted the motion last month against Lim for his approval of a South Korean civic delegation to Pyongyang to join in activities marking the 56th anniversary of the Liberation Day of the Korean Peninsula from the Japanese colonial rule in 1945. The MDP steadfastly defended Li but its ruling partner United Liberal Democrats sided with the opposition in the parliamentary vote, leading to the breakup between the two ruling parties. |
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