SEOUL, President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to reshuffle his Cabinet at the end of the year or early next year to replace those running in next year’s parliamentary elections and create new momentum in his third year in office, sources said Tuesday.

The selection process is expected to begin in earnest next month after the National Assembly completes its deliberation of the government’s budget proposal for 2024.

This photo provided by the presidential office shows a Cabinet meeting led by President Yoon Suk Yeol (4th from L) at the office in Seoul on Oct. 30, 2023.

Cabinet members serving since the inauguration of the Yoon administration in May 2022 are expected to be among the first to go, with Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho, Land Minister Won Hee-ryong and Veterans Minister Park Min-shik reportedly weighing a return to the National Assembly through next April’s general elections.

One of the strongest contenders for Choo’s replacement is Choi Sang-mok, senior presidential secretary for economic affairs, while Kim So-young, vice chairman of the Financial Services Commission, is considered a top candidate to succeed Choi.

Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon will be a focus of attention, as his high public profile makes him a strong candidate to run in competitive districts, but his lack of political experience could make him more suitable to remain in the government with a different role.

Uncertainty remains over Yoon’s foreign policy team.

There is speculation the president could retain Foreign Minister Park Jin, a former lawmaker, and National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong amid a series of overseas trips and summits scheduled for the coming months.

Yoon’s chief of staff Kim Dae-ki is also unlikely to be replaced, a senior presidential official told Yonhap News Agency.

Source: Yonhap News Agency