South Korean Kim Tae-ho, the former governor of South Gyeongsang Province, has been nominated as new prime minister in a Cabinet shake-up that also replaced seven ministers and two minister-level officials, the South Korean presidential office Cheong Wa Dae announced Sunday. According to Yonhap news agency, Kim served as governor of South Gyeongsang Province from 2004 until earlier this year and did not run for the June local elections. If confirmed by the National Assembly, he would become the country's first prime minister under 50 years of age in four decades. S-Korean president also named Lee Jae-oh, one of his closest aides, as minister for special affairs, who is tasked with dealing with political affairs and relations with North Korea, the agency added. President Lee Myung-bak's first Cabinet reshuffle since September 2009 includes Lee Ju-ho, vice education minister, was nominated for education minister, while Shin Jae-min, vice culture minister, and Lee Jae-hoon, vice knowledge minister, were promoted to culture minister and knowledge minister, respectively. Also it includes Yoo Jeong-bok, a lawmaker of the GNP, who was designated as agriculture minister and Chin Soo-hee, also another lawmaker of the GNP, was named health and welfare minister. Bahk Jae-wan, who worked as senior presidential secretary for national policy planning, was tapped as labor minister and Rim Che-min, formerly vice minister for knowledge, was named minister at the Office of Prime Minister. Lee Hyun-dong, vice commissioner of the National Tax Service, was promoted to the post of the agency's head.
