&#91EDITORIALS&#93Heads must roll

It looks like the Blue House secretariat is going to be reorganized. The string of confusion in the administration, which started with the inauguration, was the result of a failure in the government’s appointment policy. Putting the cabinet and the Blue House in order is one of the top priorities for this government. New appointments are necessary because of all the amateurs in important posts, people whose only qualification is the bond they share with the president.
This Blue House is a failure in terms of personnel organization and operation. The biggest problem is that most of the important positions are filled by people in their thirties with little or no experience in government. The reality we face is too urgent for amateurs to be learning government by trial and error. Economic problems, labor disputes and the North Korean nuclear issue are matters that the government cannot afford to fumble on. The government during the important first months “drifted as the wind blew,” to borrow the words of an elder statesman.
The Blue House had been reorganized to give the prime minister the authority to manage government affairs, whereas its secretariat was intended to assist the president who would oversee major issues. But the president continued to be involved in every minor detail. Even the secretariat has been going in different directions, with the top policy adviser contradicting the president. All secretaries that caused problems must be replaced.
The cabinet has not been immune to confusion of its own. Conflict surrounding the new educational database, labor conflicts and reform policy are the only mishaps that were publicized. Disagreements among different ministries and agencies persist.
The president should not feel bound by his vow to keep ministers on for at least two years. It is irresponsible to hang onto officials who would have been fired several times over in past governments. The education and labor ministers have outlived their usefulness. And it would be beneficial for the government to replace the culture minister, who keeps causing trouble with the media. It is time for the administration to make a new start.