President Lee Myung-bak is expected to carry out a long-awaited Cabinet reshuffle later Friday that is likely to affect six ministers, including the finance minister and the unification minister handling relations with North Korea, an official said.

   "A partial Cabinet shake-up will be announced around 7 p.m. (Friday)," a presidential aide said.

   Lee has long been expected to shuffle the Cabinet to bring fresh energy to his administration, which is heading toward its fifth and final year in office next year. The upcoming reorganization carries added importance after the ruling party suffered a crushing defeat in last month's parliamentary and local by-elections.

   The shake-up is expected to affect six posts -- the ministers for unification, finance, land and transportation, agriculture, environment, and justice, with Ambassador to China Yu Woo-ik, who served as Lee's chief of staff, expected to take the unification minister's job.

(Yonhap News)