Shakeup to affect ruling party, presidential staff

Presidential spokesman Park Joon-Young said Sunday nothing final has been decided on and if reorganization is to come to the ruling camp, it is likely to affect the ruling Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) and the staff of the Presidential Secretariat.

Decision will not be made until President Kim Dae-Jung has heard a diversity of opinions from people in all walks of life after returning from the ceremonies awarding him the Nobel peace prize, Park said, so a shakeup in the administration and the governing party may come only toward the end of the year following the regular session of the National Assembly.

According to Park, a cabinet reform is undesirable at this time in view of ongoing major undertakings on some urgent issues of the day, thus a sweeping reshuffle of the cabinet is unlikely for the moment although adjustments can be made in according with revised Government Organization Law to be passed by the legislature.

As to a shakedown of the MDP a highly placed source predicted that the mode of running the ruling party should be changed in favor of strengthening the power of the Supreme Council to make it the highest decision-making body of the party.