Ministers Replaced in a Shake-Up

South Korea’s president replaced his finance and foreign ministers in a partial Cabinet shake-up that involved five other posts. In Seoul, President Kim Dae Jung named Lee Hun Jai--head of the Financial Supervisory Commission--as the new finance minister. The move was seen as a sign of Kim’s determination to continue economic reforms. The president also replaced Hong Soon Young as foreign minister with Lee Joung Binn. Earlier in the day, the National Assembly approved Park Tae Joon, an economics expert, as the new prime minister. He replaces Kim Jong Pil, who resigned to lead one of the ruling coalition parties, the United Liberal Democrats, in the April elections. In other appointments, the president named a new minister of commerce, industry and energy as well as new education, home and construction ministers.