Yoon Appoints Former Minister Lee Ju-ho as Education Minister Candidate and Former Governor Kim Moon-soo, Chair of the Economic and Social Labor Council

Candidate Lee Ju-ho: "Field, Government, and Legislative Experience... The Right Person for Education Reform"
Chairman Kim Moon-soo: "Combining Political and Administrative Skills... The Right Person for Labor Reform"

Kim Moon-soo, New Chairman of the Economic, Social and Labor Council

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] On the 29th, President Yoon Seok-yeol nominated Lee Ju-ho, former Minister of Education, Science and Technology during the Lee Myung-bak administration (61), as the candidate for Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education. Kim Moon-soo, former Governor of Gyeonggi Province, was appointed as the chairman of the Economic, Social and Labor Council (ESLC), which will lead discussions on labor reform.

President Yoon Seok-yeol made the appointments for the Deputy Prime Minister candidate and ESLC chairman, according to a briefing by Kim Dae-gi, Chief Secretary to the President.

The position of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education has been vacant for about 50 days since the resignation of former Deputy Prime Minister Park Soon-ae, and the ESLC chairman position has been vacant for two months since Moon Sung-hyun, who served for about five years during the Moon Jae-in administration, resigned on July 22 with more than a year left in his term.

Candidate Lee served as Presidential Secretary for Education, Science and Culture and First Vice Minister of Education, Science and Technology during the Lee Myung-bak administration, and was Minister from 2010 to 2013. He is recognized as a key figure who led education policies such as the establishment of autonomous private high schools and Meister high schools.

Afterwards, he served as a professor at the Korea Development Institute (KDI) School of Public Policy and Management, and also ran for Seoul Superintendent of Education in the recent local elections but did not complete the race.

Chief Secretary Kim explained the background of the appointment, stating, "Based on his experience in the education field, government, and legislative activities, he is the right person to steadily carry out the Yoon Seok-yeol administration’s education reform tasks, such as nurturing future talents in response to the digital transformation and resolving educational disparities."

Kim Moon-soo, the newly appointed ESLC chairman, is a former labor activist who became a member of the National Assembly with the New Korea Party in 1996 and was active in the Environment and Labor Committee. He served as Governor of Gyeonggi Province from 2006 to 2014. During the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye, he was known to attend conservative groups’ Taegeukgi rallies.

Regarding Kim Moon-soo’s appointment, Chief Secretary Kim said, "He combines political and administrative skills," adding, "With extensive labor field experience, he is the right person to actively promote the Yoon Seok-yeol administration’s labor reform tasks, including smooth consultations and coordination of opinions among the government, employers, and labor representatives, as well as building a cooperative labor market."

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