Reformer given education brief

President Roh Moo-hyun yesterday named Yoon Deok-hong, 56, president of Daegu University, as deputy prime minister for education and human-resources development.
Jeong Chan-yong, presidential adviser for personnel affairs, said President Roh respected Mr. Yoon’s determination to improve education and his talent in nurturing universities. Mr. Yoon’s high school teaching experience was also valued in the selection, Mr. Jeong said.
President Roh named Jo Young-dong, an official of the Busan Ilbo, as head of the Government Information Agency and Jung Soon-kyun, former spokes-man of the presidential transition team, as deputy head.
The post of deputy prime minister for education had remained vacant after most of the cabinet was filled last week, as civic groups, Internet users and civil servants voiced opposition to several candidates.
Mr. Yoon is known as a strong reformer. He co-headed the Korean Professors Association for Democratic Society and is a member of the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy. He led reform-minded professors in Daegu. A worker at Daegu University said Mr. Yoon had resolved the three-year showdown between the former university president and a group of students and professors, who accused the former president of corruption.
Mr. Jeong said the large number of foreigners enrolled at Daegu University also served in favor of Mr. Yoon. President Roh wants the new education minister to nurture universities outside Seoul.
Mr. Roh now has three ministers who are natives of Daegu and North Gyeongsang province, the traditional stronghold of the opposition Grand National Party.
Meanwhile, the prosecutors office was quaking yesterday over the plans of the Ministry of Justice to promote junior prosecutors over seniors. It is a long-established tradition of prosecutors to step down if younger prosecutors are promoted over them.
According to the Ministry of Justice and the prosecutors office, Kang Gum-sil, the new justice minister, wants to fill expected vacancies on the high prosecutors office with prosecutors who passed the 14th to 16th state bar examinations. Ms. Kang has reportedly informed Kim Kak-young, the prosecutor-general, of the promotions.
Officials of the Seoul District Prosecutors Office vented their anger at a meeting yesterday after being informed of the justice ministry’s plan. One said that senior figures in the prosecutors office must take bold steps to mollify the prosecutors anger.

by Choi Hoon, Jo Kang-su