South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s first Cabinet reshuffle on August 30 nominated six ministers spanning finance, justice, SMEs and startups, land and transport, defense, and gender equality and family, while Foreign Minister Cho Hyun kept his post amid sensitive strains with Washington. The survival of Cho, after speculation about his dismissal, underscores a preference for continuity in alliance management as disputes accumulate over Korea’s $350 billion U.S. investment commitment, nuclear-powered submarines, revisions to the bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement, and a Trump-ordered early end to the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise. Defense was the only foreign affairs and security portfolio changed, with Ret. Gen. Kang Shin-chul, a former deputy commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, nominated ahead of the Full Operational Capability assessment tied to wartime operational control transfer before the October Security Consultative Meeting. Cho’s close working relationship with National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac and the limited pool of liberal-camp officials experienced with Washington are cited as retention factors, as Cho seeks an in-person meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio after an August 24 call. On the economic side, First Vice Minister Lee Hyoung-il was nominated to replace Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol while presidential policy chief Kim Yong-beom was retained, deepening a Kim-centered network that officials say may speed decisions but concentrate accountability, drawing opposition criticism as all nominees face National Assembly confirmation hearings.