President Park Geun-hye returned home earlier today following her trip to the UAE... but she won't have any time to rest.
The president has no official schedule for the next couple of days... but she is expected to start the process of identifying a new prime minister and reshuffling her cabinet.
Hwang Ji-hye has the details.
When President Park apologized this week for the government's poor response to the ferry disaster,... she chose not to mention her plans to shake-up the cabinet.
But as she told the families of the victims late last week,... follow-up measures to the accident, including a reshuffle, are expected to speed up in the coming days.
"I am currently planning follow-up measures, including a cabinet reshuffle, in detail."
Pundits are carefully looking at who will be the president's candidate for prime minister... with the current Prime Minister Chung Hong-won set to resign to take responsibility for the government's lax response to the ferry disaster.
They say... the appointment of a new prime minister will mark the starting point of the cabinet shake-up.
Speculation is rife that the nomination of a new prime minister could come as early as this week as it's already been almost a month since Chung offered to step down.
Those held most responsible for the poor handling of the disaster -- the ministers of oceans and fisheries, public administration and education are most likely to face the chop,...but there are growing calls for a clean sweep.
Ruling and opposition party lawmakers are demanding the entire cabinet as well as senior officials at the presidential office step down.
Pundits say President Park's new government line-up will affect how the public evaluates the sincerity of her apology and will play a key role in whether she wins back public sentiment.
Hwang Ji-hye, Arirang News.
