By Shim Jae-yun
Staff Reporter

President Roh Moo-hyun on Thursday accepted the resignation of Foreign Affairs-Trade Minister Yoon Young-kwan, holding him responsible for his subordinates’ disparaging remarks against Roh and his policy toward the United States.

``Some foreign ministry officials don’t understand or share the philosophy of the participatory government’s foreign policy. This caused them to depend on the foreign policy of the past,’’ Jeong Chan-yong, senior presidential secretary for personnel affairs, said in a briefing.

Jeong said that Yoon has failed to properly supervise foreign ministry officials with conflicting foreign policy directions, and Roh accepted Yoon’s resignation for this reason.

Yoon expressed his intention to step down Thursday morning, the day after a New Year’s news conference in which Roh made clear his intention to discipline diplomats for slandering him at private and official functions.

Jeong said the presidential office will announce the new foreign minister and that about four candidates are under review.

Sources speculate that National Security Advisor Ra Jong-yil, and Ban Ki-moon, presidential advisor for foreign policy, and Ambassador to the United States Han Seung-soo are included on the shortlist. The announcement will likely be made this week.

The new minister is set to replace officials in question, including Wi Sung-lac, director general of the North American Bureau, Cho Hyun-dong, director of the bureau’s Division III, and Shin Kak-soo, director general in charge of treaties.

In his New Year’s press conference, Roh pledged to replace some ministry officials in charge of U.S. affairs who allegedly denounced his U.S. policy direction in both private and public meetings.

Jeong cited that Yoon has failed to ``properly supervise foreign ministry officials on the conflicting foreign policy directions.’’

He continued to criticize the ministry officials for having leaked classified information to the press with the aim of undermining the government’s foreign policy and as a result damaging its credibility.

Yoon’s resignation will likely be followed by a major shakeup of the Foreign Ministry’s North American Affairs Bureau, which handles sensitive diplomatic issues involving the United States.

The ministry officials, including Cho, have reportedly compared Lee Jong-seok and other ranking officials at the National Security Council (NSC) with the Taliban, Osama bin Laden’s former theocracy in Afghanistan.

The outgoing minister expressed regret by underlining the need to pursue national interests based on realistic approaches and through flexible diplomacy.

Roh has been taking criticism by the ministry officials on his foreign policy very seriously. During the Wednesday press conference, Roh said the replacement of some officials would be inevitable to prevent obstacles to his external policy direction.

jayshim@koreatimes.co.kr