Ministry of Unification Appoints First Female Spokesperson in 52 Years Since Establishment

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The Ministry of Unification announced on the 7th that it has carried out personnel reshuffles for senior officials and department heads, including appointing Director Lee Jong-ju as spokesperson effective the 8th.

Director Lee is the first female spokesperson in the 52 years since the Ministry of Unification was established in 1969.

The newly appointed spokesperson Lee has been recognized for her outstanding work capabilities, having served in key positions within the Ministry of Unification such as unification policy, humanitarian cooperation, exchange cooperation, inter-Korean talks, and situation analysis, as well as serving as counselor at the Embassy in the United States and administrative officer at the National Security Office.

Although the overall proportion of female employees in the Ministry of Unification reaches 44.2%, the proportion of female managers is lower than this. Accordingly, in the second half of last year, the Ministry appointed women to key positions such as Planning and Finance Officer and Operations Support Department Head, and in the year-end promotion review for deputy director-level officials, two out of three promotees were women, making efforts to expand the number of female managers.

This recent personnel reshuffle also reflects the policy of expanding female managers. Through this reshuffle, the proportion of female department heads (headquarters) in the Ministry of Unification increased from 28.5% to 32.1%.

The Ministry of Unification stated, "As the role of women in the unification field is becoming increasingly important, we will continue to strive to expand female managers."

Meanwhile, in this senior personnel reshuffle, Baek Tae-hyun, Director of the Situation Analysis Bureau at the Ministry of Unification, was promoted and transferred to Director of the Exchange Cooperation Office. The Ministry stated, "Director Baek is an expert who has previously served as Director of the Exchange Cooperation Bureau and will devise various plans to expand inter-Korean cooperation projects."

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