|
South Korean official returns to ruling party
(AP)
Updated: 2005-12-30 13:56
South Korea Unification Minister Chung Dong-young resigned Friday to
take a position in the troubled ruling party.
Chung, 52, was chairman of President Roh Moo-hyun's Uri Party before he
became Unification Minister.
"I plan to devote myself to helping the party regain public confidence," the
South Korean news agency Yonhap quoted Chung as saying in an interview.
File photo shows South Korean Unification
Minister Chung Dong-young (R) with Kwon Ho-ung, head of the North Korean
delegation, on Cheju Island December 16,
2005.[Reuters] | The party has seen its popularity
wane amid soaring property prices and corruption scandals.
As Unification Minister, Chung spearheaded South Korea's efforts to foster
political and economic exchanges with its North Korea.
The former news anchor has been considered one of the most likely candidates
to succeed President Roh Moo-hyun.
The president was swept into power by younger voters questioning key
assumptions about modern South Korea, including its close ties to the United
States.
South Korean media have speculated that Lee Jong-seok, a key National
Security Council official, or Choo Mi-ae, a judge-turned-politican, could be in
line to succeed Chung.
Both are considered reform-minded and supportive of Seoul's policy of
engagement toward North Korea.
|
