South Korea’s Moon replaces defense chief in cabinet reshuffle

South Korean President Moon Jae-in delivers a speech during a ceremony marking the 73rd anniversary of liberation from Japanese colonial rule in 1945, at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul on August 15, 2018. AFP

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday replaced his defense chief and four other ministers in a cabinet reshuffle after falling approval ratings in recent weeks.

Moon has driven a rapid diplomatic rapprochement with nuclear-armed North Korea, but defense minister Song Young-moo came under fire for mishandling a controversy over a defense intelligence unit.

In March, documents emerged detailing military plans to impose martial law against protesters demanding the ouster of Moon’s predecessor Park Geun-hye last year, but Song failed to report them to the presidential Blue House.

Moon named Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman and air force general Jeong Kyeong-doo to replace him.

It is normal for South Korean defense ministers to be former top military officers -— Song was previously an admiral.

Moon’s popularity rating soared to 83 percent after his Panmunjom summit with the North’s leader Kim Jong Un in April.

It has since fallen to a record low of 56 percent in a Realmeter survey last week amid mounting concerns over the economy.

Moon also named new ministers for education, industry, labour and gender equality in Thursday’s reshuffle. /ee