South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Wednesday tapped Kim Byong-joon, who served as policy advisor to late President Roh Moo-hyun as new prime minister in a reshuffle aimed at placating mounting public anger over an influence-peddling scandal involving her close confidante.

    Park also tapped Yim Jong-yong, head of the Financial Services Commission, as the new finance minister, a post that doubles as deputy prime minister for economic affairs.

    The prime minister-designate, currently a public administration professor at Seoul-based Kookmin University, served as a senior policy aide to the liberal president who ran the country from 2003-2008, South Korean News Agency (Yonhap) reported.

    "To meet the demands from political circles for a neutral Cabinet, (Park) designated professor Kim who served as a policy chief under the Participatory (Roh) Government," a presidential official said, declining to be identified. Kim also held the Cabinet post of deputy prime minister for education.

    In the latest shake-up, Park Seung-joo, who served as vice minister at the gender ministry under the Roh administration, was named to head the Ministry of Public Safety and Security based on Kim's recommendation.

    The reshuffle came amid mounting fears over a possible administrative vacuum with Park's leadership seriously damaged by the swirling political scandal that has prompted nationwide calls for her resignation or impeachment.

    At the center of the massive scandal is Choi Soon-sil, whom critics portray as the "eminence grise" of the Park administration. Choi is alleged to have used her decades-long ties to the president to meddle in state affairs, particularly presidential matters such as Park's wardrobe, public speeches and even the selection of presidential secretaries.

    The 60-year-old woman is also suspected of having peddled undue influence in the creation and operation of two nonprofit foundations, dedicated to promoting Korean culture and sports, and of having misappropriated money from these foundations. In the wake of the scandal, a recent poll showed Park's approval ratings plunging to a woeful single digit.

Source: QNA