Minister of Environment Maan-ee Lee of Korea, South

After first wanting to abolish the Unification Ministry, Lee has had difficulty finding a candidate for minister.

In his March 1 Independence Day speech on Saturday, Lee said inter-Korean relations “should be viewed as a diplomatic issue as much as a domestic issue.

Lee said that in order to make progress on the climate change issue, advanced nations should commit to drastic greenhouse gas reduction and developing nations should implement measures according to their ability.

Lee has yet to specify when the privatization will take place.

In a keynote speech at the UN Climate Change Conference in Poznan, Poland, Lee said the country plans to announce a mid-term target for 2020 next year.