Focus Taiwan
Date: 11/30/28020
By: Liu Kuan-ting, Yu Hsiang and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, Nov. 30 (CNA) Taiwan's culture minister has denied that a controversial proposal to downgrade the world-famous National Palace Museum's (NPM) status as a Cabinet-level body was being made for political reasons.

"The NPM became a Cabinet-level body because of political considerations. Now [the move] would be based on professional considerations," Culture Minister Lee Yung-te (李永得) told reporters at the Legislative Yuan on Monday.

"The NPM is run based on professionalism. Its administrative level is not an important factor" in deciding the museum's status, Lee said.

Reports last week indicated that the Executive Yuan, which runs the government, has drafted an organizational reform plan under which the NPM could be downgraded from an independent "2nd-tier" Cabinet-level body to a "3rd-tier" body under the Ministry of Culture.   [FULL  STORY]