Ministry of Economy and Finance Budget Office Breaks the 'Geumnyeo's Wall'

Kim Kyung-hee, Director of Administrative and Defense Budget Review at the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, Becomes First Female Director in the Budget Office

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] The Ministry of Economy and Finance's Budget Office, responsible for managing the nation's finances, has broken the gender barrier.

On the 31st of last month, the Ministry of Economy and Finance announced the appointment of 14 senior officials at the director level, including Kim Kyung-hee (photo, 50, 37th Administrative Examination) as Director of the Budget Office's Administrative and Defense Budget Review Division. This is the first time a female bureaucrat has been appointed as a director in the Budget Office.

The Administrative and Defense Budget Review Division oversees budget affairs related to the National Assembly, Supreme Court, Constitutional Court, National Election Commission, Office for Government Policy Coordination, Prime Minister's Secretariat, Board of Audit and Inspection, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Unification, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, National Police Agency, Statistics Korea, and Defense Acquisition Program Administration.

Director Kim has been a leading figure in the female wave within the Ministry of Economy and Finance and has attracted attention for some time. Graduating from Yonsei University with a degree in English Literature, Kim passed the 37th Administrative Examination and began her public service career in 1994 at the Economic Planning Board. She was the first female administrative officer from the Administrative Examination, and her career path includes being the Ministry's first female secretary, section chief, chief of the main division, deputy director general, and director?each step marked by a "first" for a woman. After her promotion to deputy director general (Grade 3) in 2015, she was appointed Secretary General of the Lottery Commission in 2017, becoming the first female head of a main bureau in the Ministry of Economy and Finance's 69-year history.

Director Kim has built her expertise through various roles in economic policy, taxation, and international finance, including positions as head of the Property Taxation Division, Tax Analysis Division, and International Tax Cooperation Division. She said, "I feel burdened by the label of being the first woman," adding, "Rather than as the first female director, I want to be recognized as a newly appointed director entering the Budget Office for the first time, and I will repay this through gathering diverse opinions and diligent work."

On the same day, the Ministry of Economy and Finance replaced 15 out of 35 director positions (43%) besides Director Kim. Yoon Tae-sik, Director of the International Finance Bureau (37th Administrative Examination), was appointed Director of the Policy Coordination Bureau, and Han Hoon (35th Administrative Examination), Director of the Policy Coordination Bureau, moved to the Economic Budget Review Division. Kim Yoon-sang (36th Administrative Examination), who served as Minister-Counselor at the Embassy in the United States, was appointed as the Ministry's spokesperson. Im Ki-geun (51, 36th Administrative Examination), former Director of the Administrative and Defense Budget Review Division, was appointed Director of the Public Policy Bureau, and Kang Seung-joon (54, 35th Administrative Examination), former Director of the Public Policy Bureau, was appointed Director of the Fiscal Policy Bureau. Kim Sung-wook (37th Administrative Examination) was appointed Director of the International Finance Bureau, and Kim Byung-hwan (37th Administrative Examination) was appointed Head of the Innovation Growth Promotion Planning Group, with many appointments from the 37th Administrative Examination cohort.

A Ministry of Economy and Finance official said, "We focused on rewarding passion and performance in work and on appointments based on merit," adding, "We expect the organizational reshuffle among bureaus to bring new vitality to the organization."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.