MB’s Cabinet Lineup Unveiled

Yu Myung-hwan, Foreign Affairs and Unification Minister Nominee

Yu Myung-hwan has been a diplomat for the past 35 years since he passed the 7th Annual High Diplomatic Service Examination. Yu is an expert in U.S. foreign policy as he served as a counselor at the Korean Embassy in the U.S., and the director general of the Foreign Ministry’s North American Affairs Bureau. Yu also has rich experience in the Middle East, given that he served as the Korean ambassador to Israel and an ambassador specializing in anti-terrorist operations and Afghan affairs.

He served as a presidential adviser on national security and foreign policy under the Kim Young-sam administration. He was also appointed as vice foreign minister twice under the Roh Moo-hyun administration when numerous high profile diplomats were rejected one after another. There were even rumors that he pulled strings to be named the ambassador to Japan because he had little experience working for the Korean embassy in Japan. Unlike many other career diplomats, he is known for making wise political decisions.

Some foreign ministry officials claim that he is very confident and has strong leadership, but others suggest that he is excessively conscious of powerful figures. In November 2006, when he served as the vice foreign minister, he faced fierce criticism from Uri Party lawmakers for failing to closely work with the ruling party in the process of negotiating with the parliament upon the U.S. request that Korea join the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) after the North Korea’s nuclear test.

Euh Yoon-dae, Education and Science Minister Nominee

Euh has been constantly speculated as a candidate for various key government posts, such as the chairman of the president transition committee, prime minister, minister of education and science, minister of an economy-related ministry.

Rumors say that, although he helped President-elect Lee Myung-bak establish policies since the Grand National Party primary elections, Euh had vehemently refused to become a member of the Cabinet, saying he may add additional pressure on the president-elect as he is Lee’s university junior by only two years. The two both majored in business administration at Korea University.

The former Korea University president used to be called “CEO President” because during his term he raised 300 billion won for the development of the school and developed the main campus with state-of-art technologies. On the university’s centennial anniversary, he distributed wine as a present, to change the school’s tarnished image of the so-called “makgeolli university.” He also made English-only lectures mandatory, as a pioneer of globalization. He is known for his sense of fashion and sometimes wears a bow tie.

On the participatory government’s regulations on universities, Euh once said, “The government has mistaken private colleges for state universities.” He is against the government’s “Three No Education Policies.” Although he ran for reelection in 2006, he lost in the primary round due to oppositions from professors who were against his reform measures.

kimhs@donga.com foryou@donga.com