Roh enlists Kim Jin-pyo to lead education reform

President Roh Moo-hyun named Kim Jin-pyo, a Uri lawmaker and former deputy prime minister for finance, as the country’s new deputy prime minister of education yesterday.
Mr. Kim is filling a position vacant for weeks because of a mishandled appointment process last year. The Blue House had selected Lee Ki-jun, former Seoul National University president, but Mr. Lee lasted only three days in the post: A series of corruption allegations emerged, forcing his resignation.
The Blue House held a personnel affairs committee meeting yesterday and recommended Mr. Kim as the new education chief. Mr. Roh promptly approved the selection.
Mr. Kim, 58, served as the Roh administration’s first deputy prime minister of finance and economy. In legislative elections last April, he was elected as an Uri lawmaker to represent the Suwon electoral district in Gyeonggi province. He will retain his seat in the Assembly.
“Mr. Kim possesses excellent abilities in persuasion, management and accommodation of conflicting social interests,” Kim Wan-key, Blue House senior secretary for personnel affairs, said yesterday. “In particular, he understands education from the perspective of the economy and is interested in educational reform.”
Analysts said yesterday Mr. Roh chose Mr. Kim because both think that university education should be an “industry” and that the higher education system in Korea should become market-oriented and competitive internationally.
Educational groups were quick to criticize the appointment.
Some civic organizations said they opposed Mr. Kim’s appointment as he has no specialist background in education and will only push market principles.
Separately, Mr. Roh appointed yesterday new heads for the Ministry of Planning and Budget and the president of the Appeals Commission.

by Min Seong-jae