Seoul: South Korea's incoming administration will scrap the Unification Ministry, which has spearheaded efforts to reconcile with North Korea, as part of plans to streamline the government, a news report said today.

Though the ministry's duties would be transferred elsewhere, likely to the Foreign Ministry, the move would be an important symbolic shift for the government in its interaction with its communist neighbor and efforts to get the North to give up nuclear programs.

President-elect Lee Myung-bak is the first conservative leader of South Korea in 10 years. His liberal predecessors have aggressively pushed for reconciliation with the North, with the Unification Ministry at the center of those efforts.

Lee has pledged to be tougher on North Korea than his predecessors, and has said resolving the North Korean nuclear issue would be one of his top priorities.

Lee's team has finalised a government reorganization plan, including the scrapping of the Unification Ministry and four other ministries, and was to formally announce it later Wednesday, Yonhap news agency reported without citing any source.

The plan also calls for closing the Information and Communication Ministry, Maritime and Fisheries Ministry, Science and Technology Ministry and Gender Equality Ministry, Yonhap said.

Their functions would be taken over by other ministries, Yonhap said. Transition team officials could not confirm the report, saying an official announcement would be made later.

Source : PTI