Presidential Spokesperson Lee Dong-kwan made the following remarks in a briefing this afternoon.

President Lee Myung-bak named Supreme Court Justice Kim Hwang-sik as Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection; former President of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Ahn Byung-man as Minister of Education, Science and Technology; former Secretary-General of the Korea Independent Commission Against Corruption Jang Tae-pyoung as Minister for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; and Jeon Jae-hee, a ruling Grand National Party National Assemblywoman, as Minister for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs.

Meanwhile, the President rejected the remaining letters of resignation submitted on June 10 by Prime Minister Han Seung-soo and the entire cabinet.

President Lee also appointed former lawmaker Kim Deog-ryong of the Grand National Party as the President’s Special Advisor for National Unity; former Chief Executive of the Hankook Ilbo Lee Sung-joon as the President’s Special Advisor for Media and Cultural Affairs; and Chung-Ang University Professor Kim Dae-mo as Chairman of the Economic and Social Development Commission.

Now, I will brief you on vice minister and vice minister-level appointments.

Kim Dong-soo, an Assistant Vice Minister in the Ministry of Finance and Strategy, was appointed as the First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Finance and Strategy. Shin Kak-soo, the Korean Ambassador to Israel, was named as the Second Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Min Bong-gi, the president of the Incheon Urban Administrators Association, and Han Won-taek, a Professor Emeritus in the Graduate School of Governance, SungKyunKwan University were appointed as the Governors of Hwanghae-do (province) and Hamgyeongnam-do (province) in North Korea, respectively.

Vice President of the Sun Moon University Kim Jeong-gi was named as the new Presidential Secretary for Education, Science and Culture.

The Government is planning to submit a request for confirmation hearings to the National Assembly when necessary documents of new designees are prepared in a day or two.

The cabinet reshuffle follows the June 20 comprehensive change in the lineup of the presidential senior secretaries. In making the personnel change, Cheong Wa Dae considered the fact that the country is now faced with a very difficult situation domestically and internationally and that it needs to have a new determination to overcome these difficulties.

The Prime Minister has been retained and the scope of the cabinet reshuffle is limited to a few ministries. This is the result of the mitigating circumstances at the start of the new Administration; the Prime Minister and the cabinet were not given proper working conditions. There was the problem of needing to familiarize themselves with their business before starting any initiatives. Also, there were National Assembly elections and controversies involving the import of American beef. It is only fair that the cabinet should be given a second chance to deal with various pending issues with greater responsibility. In this situation, the need to maintain continuity and stability in government administration, as well as high oil prices and the difficult economic conditions at home and abroad were considered.

The new appointees, including the Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection, have passed rigorous tests in expertise, competency and experience in their respective fields as well as ethics. Even their places of birth were considered in an effort to achieve regional balance and national unity.

Now, I will briefly explain to you Cheong Wa Dae’s position concerning the diverting of electronic presidential documents by former President Roh Moo-hyun and his aides.

In connection with this case, the National Archives of Korea will make an official response and take the necessary measures. In addition, the fact-finding investigation will continue to proceed to unveil a clear picture of the case. The facts and how the incident unfolded will be announced upon the completion of the investigation.

The Government has so far asked the former President to return the materials several times through various channels, including phone calls and official documents, in order to show respect to him as a former president and avoid any unnecessary political misunderstandings. Despite the repeated requests, the former President has been procrastinating, citing one reason or another.

In any case, it is obviously against the law for President Roh to have diverted the official records that had been prepared during his presidency. In this sense, this is not something that can be overlooked. What makes this case even more serious is that many of the diverted records were originals, not copies.