SEOUL: In a sweeping reshuffle, South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday replaced the prime minister and six other cabinet members in a bid to revive his party, after devastating local election defeats, and his policy agenda.

The President today nominated former Interior Minister Kim Boo-kyum as the new Prime Minister during a cabinet reshuffle, the presidential Blue House said. Kim will become the third Prime Minister of the Moon government, which was inaugurated in May 2017, if the nomination is approved in the parliamentary confirmation hearings, reports Xinhua news agency.

Lim Hye-sook was named as the Minister of Science and ICT, and Moon Sung-wook was picked as the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy. An Kyung-duk was nominated as the Minister of Employment and Labour, while Noh Hyeong-ouk was selected as the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Park Jun-young was named as the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries.

The Cabinet reshuffle came after Moon's ruling Democratic Party was routed in the April 7 mayoral by-elections for the capital Seoul and the second-biggest city of Busan.

Moon also named new senior secretaries, including Lee Cheol-hee as senior presidential secretary for political affairs and Lee Tae-han as senior presidential secretary for social affairs. Park Kyung-mee was named as the new Blue House spokesperson.

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