Park Ji-won: "Ask Yoon if 'Honam natives lack ability'... Is Honam being excluded for five years straight?"

Former National Intelligence Service Director Park Ji-won. [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Former National Intelligence Service Director Park Ji-won commented on President Yoon Seok-yeol's cabinet appointments, saying, "Should I laugh or cry?" Recently, President Yoon has actively appointed female experts, improving gender imbalance, but Park expressed regret that there are still no appointees from the Honam region.

On the 30th, Park posted on his Facebook, "Will things improve if a Washington Post (WP) reporter asks President Yoon one more time?" He added, "I also applauded the quick response in appointing women to all vacant ministerial and vice-ministerial positions, but the appointment of the Patent Office Commissioner, a woman from Busan, makes me wonder whether I should laugh or cry."

President Yoon has faced criticism for a 'Seo-O-Nam (Seoul National University, 50s, male) biased cabinet.' Furthermore, at the joint press conference following the Korea-US summit on the 21st, when a WP reporter pointed out the male dominance in Yoon's cabinet, the president responded, "Women have not risen much in the public service," and said he intends to more actively guarantee fair opportunities for women.

Subsequently, President Yoon actively appointed female experts. On the 26th, he nominated Park Soon-ae, a Seoul National University professor, as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education; former lawmaker Kim Seung-hee as Minister of Health and Welfare; and Seoul National University professor Oh Yoo-kyung as Commissioner of the Food and Drug Safety Administration. On the 29th, he appointed Lee In-sil, president of the Korea Women Inventors Association, as the new Patent Office Commissioner.

In response, former Director Park welcomed the paradigm shift in Yoon's appointments but expressed concern that appointees from the Honam region are still excluded. He said, "I am deeply worried that the absence of Honam appointees will continue throughout the five years, including the transition committee and subsequent ministerial and vice-ministerial appointments," adding, "I am concerned that the Democratic Party does not point out this serious situation and only fights during the election period." He also added, "WP reporter! Please ask once more if there really are no capable people from Honam."

Earlier, on the 24th, Park also wrote on Facebook, "Let's applaud the president for giving opportunities to female public officials and women," and suggested, "It would be great if he promised to improve the near exclusion of Honam appointees from ministerial, vice-ministerial, and senior positions."

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