South Korea cabinet resigns

A state of war officially exists between North and South Korea

SEOUL, South Korea -- The entire South Korean cabinet has offered to resign one day after parliament voted to dismiss the minister in charge of policy toward communist North Korea.

Cabinet ministers tendered their resignations en masse on Tuesday in a bid to give President Kim Dae-jung a freer hand in reorganizing his administration.

The need to reshuffle was sparked by a vote to dismiss Unification Minister Lim Dong-won on Monday, amid claims he was being too "soft" on North Korea.

While it is not clear if Kim has accepted the resignations, a key adviser has said the president is expected to reshuffle his cabinet this week.

Lim's dismissal has dealt a blow to President Kim's "sunshine policy" and his troubled diplomacy with Pyongyang.

VIDEO CNN's Sohn Jie-ae reports on the cabinet's offer to resign. Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Sohn Jie-ae reports on the national assembly's no-confidence vote against the president's policymaker on North Korea. Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)   IN-DEPTH Two Koreas: Reconciliation, Engagement, Cooperation

In its defense, the presidential Blue House has said Seoul will not alter its policy of engaging communist Pyongyang as it seeks to reunify the divided Korean Peninsula.

While ties between the two Koreas improved last year after a landmark summit between leaders of both nations, efforts to boost relations have since ground to a halt.

The two Koreas remain technically at war under a 1953 armed truce that has kept their border sealed and fortified.

Resignations en masse

Kim canceled all meetings scheduled for Tuesday to concentrate on reorganizing his government and party, chief spokesman Park Joon-young told The Associated Press.

Lim got the flick after his ministry allowed South Korean activists to visit Pyongyang last month and more than 100 of them joined rallies that the North used in anti-Seoul propaganda.

The opposition has claimed the Pyongyang incident symbolizes the failure of Lim's approach to North Korea.

It says Seoul has nothing to show for feeding and funding North Korea with money that would be better spent dealing with economic problems at home.

On Monday, they put their words into action and the National Assembly voted to dismiss Lim, described by Pyongyang as one of the few South Koreans the North can trust, by 148 votes to 119.

While Kim was not legally bound to respect the decision, any attempt to retain Lim would risk a major confrontation with the parliament.

The vote has undermined Kim's fragile ruling coalition because its conservative junior partner, the United Liberal Democrats, sided with the opposition in approving the vote against Lim.

Lim tendered his resignation with the rest of the cabinet on Tuesday.

Public support

In an apparent bid to shore up support for the South's engagement with the North, Lim told a news conference on Tuesday that "calling the sunshine policy a failure does not recognize reality."

"The policy of reconciliation enjoys the widespread support of the world and the consistent backing of the South Korean public," Lim said.

The vote against Kim's right-hand man in dealing with North Korea took place one day after Pyongyang sent a letter to him calling for the resumption of stalled talks.

Seoul said on Monday it was prepared to respond favorably to the offer, although analysts and opposition members have been skeptical of the move, saying it was done to salvage Lim's career.

Chinese President Jiang Zemin, who arrived in Pyongyang on Monday for a three-day visit is expected to urge North Korea to pursue reconciliation with South Korea.