South Korean President replaces 8 ministers at once

This is the first cabinet reshuffle carried out by President Moon Jae-in in five months, in the context of South Korea experiencing many serious problems such as North Korea's resumption of missile testing and trade tensions with Japan.

In this reshuffle, the ministers of agencies including the Ministry of Justice; Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; Ministry of Gender Equality and Family; Ministry of Science and Technology; and Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs were replaced. Three other ministerial-level agencies also saw leadership changes: the Fair Trade Commission, the Financial Services Commission, and the Korea Communications Commission.

The newly nominated ministers will have to testify before the South Korean parliament, but a specific date has not been set.

In addition to the ministerial change, the South Korean President also appointed veteran diplomat Lee Soo-hyuck as the new ambassador to the US to replace Mr. Cho Yoon-je. Mr. Lee described his new mission as a "front commander" in South Korea-US relations.

"The role of an ambassador is to work on the diplomatic front for a country," Lee told reporters at the National Assembly upon receiving the nomination, vowing to do his best to contribute to the national interest.

However, President Moon Jae-in kept key positions in his national security team intact, indicating that his administration will not make a major change in its foreign policy direction and approach to North Korea.

This cabinet change comes as President Moon Jae-in approaches the midpoint of his five-year term. This is considered a move to create new momentum for the South Korean President in the face of many domestic and international challenges.