SEOUL, May 25 (UPI) -- South Korea's Prime Minister Goh Kun stepped down Tuesday after a dispute with President Roh Moo-hyun over a Cabinet reshuffle.
Roh dismissed the prime minister one day after Goh submitted a letter of resignation after turning down a presidential request to recommend replacements for Cabinet ministers.
Roh had asked Goh to recommend new ministers before resigning, but the prime minister refused to do so. Goh's resignation had been widely expected after Roh's return to office on May 14 after a two-month hiatus while the court considered a parliamentary move to impeach him.
"It is not desirable for an outgoing prime minister to recommend new ministers in consideration of the spirit of the Constitution," Goh said in a statement.
A lifetime bureaucrat, Goh Kun has held key posts in six successive governments, as a provincial governor, Seoul mayor and head of the transportation, agriculture and home ministries.
Goh's resignation has forced Roh to delay the Cabinet shake-up until late next month because Roh needs recommendations from a new prime minister. Presidential aides said Roh is likely to name former governor of South Kyongsang Province Kim Hyuck-kyu as prime minister.
