Candidate Jo Gyu-hong's First Day at Work... "Though an Economic Bureaucrat, Has Experience in Health and Welfare"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] Cho Kyu-hong, the nominee for Minister of Health and Welfare, emphasized his experience in the health and welfare sectors in response to concerns about his background as an economic official on his first day at work.

On the 8th, Cho arrived for the first time at the nominee office set up in the National Pension Service building in Chungjeong-ro, Seoul, and expressed this position. He is the third nominee for the Minister of Health and Welfare to work in the same office following the resignations of former nominees Jeong Ho-young and Kim Seung-hee. The position of Minister of Health and Welfare had been vacant for about four months since former Minister Kwon Deok-cheol resigned on May 17.

When asked about his expertise in health and welfare as a nominee from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, he said, "I have experience in establishing long-term welfare strategies and have been in charge of preparing the previous year's welfare budget in the budget management division. I also had opportunities to engage with welfare issues while working twice at the Blue House, and as a financial management officer, I formulated mid-term financial plans for the welfare sector and reviewed the welfare delivery system."

Regarding the healthcare sector, he stated, "Since my appointment on May 10, I have had the opportunity to deeply understand major issues while serving as the first vice minister and acting minister of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. I will closely consult and communicate with healthcare experts and the experienced Ministry of Health and Welfare staff to find reasonable alternatives."

About the proposal to separate the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Welfare, which Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min mentioned in an interview with the media, Cho said, "There are opinions that separation is necessary and others that they should remain together, so we need to discuss this carefully," adding, "There will be discussions in the future," but refrained from elaborating further.

Cho also revealed his stance on pension reform. He said, "To succeed in reforming the National Pension, securing public trust is essential. To gain public trust, on one hand, sustainability must be enhanced, while on the other hand, intergenerational equity must be improved, and securing adequate retirement income in an era of low birth rates and aging is important." He added, "Under these goals, continuous communication and consultation are necessary to reach social consensus."

He pledged to put even more effort into areas he has focused on, such as forming a dedicated task force (TF) to improve welfare blind spots. Cho said, "The case of the three mothers in Suwon is very regrettable and I am sorry. Although many efforts have been made so far, it is true that there is still a lack. It is very important not only to identify households in crisis but also to directly verify those households and ensure practical support is provided."

He added, "We will prepare various legal and institutional measures to secure actual residences by listening to experts and voices from the field. Along with this, cooperation among private sectors within the community society is also important."

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