"My name is Melissa Lee Jyeon..." Korean Spoken at New Zealand Minister's Inauguration Ceremony

First Korean-American Minister Melissa Lee (Korean Name Lee Ji-yeon)
"Proud to Have My Korean Identity Recognized"

The first Korean minister has been appointed in New Zealand. He attracted attention by reading the oath in Korean during the swearing-in ceremony.

"I swear"... New Zealand's first Korean minister takes oath in Korean

Melissa Lee (Korean name Lee Ji-yeon), Minister of Economic Development, Minister for Ethnic Communities, and Minister of Media and Communications in New Zealand's new government, is taking a commemorative photo with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon (left) and Governor-General Cindy Kiro (right) after the ministerial oath ceremony held at the government building in Wellington, New Zealand, on the 27th (local time).
[Photo by Melissa Lee, New Zealand Minister's Facebook capture]

On the 27th (local time), according to Radio New Zealand (RNZ) and other broadcasts, at the inauguration ceremony of the new government held at the government building in Wellington, New Zealand, Governor-General Cindy Kiro appointed Melissa Lee (Korean name Lee Ji-yeon) of the National Party as the minister of three departments: Economic Development, Ethnic Communities, and Media and Communications in the new government.

Minister Lee alternated between English and Korean while taking the oath.

In Korean, she said, "I, Melissa Lee Ji-yeon, swear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles III, his heirs and successors according to law," and "I, Melissa Lee Ji-yeon, have been appointed as a minister of the Executive Council of New Zealand and swear to freely advise and counsel the Governor-General with my best judgment whenever necessary for the smooth operation of New Zealand's government."

She then swore to maintain confidentiality and faithfully perform her ministerial duties.

After the inauguration, Minister Lee posted on her social media (SNS), "Today, I officially took the oath as a minister," adding, "I am proud to have my Korean identity recognized by taking the oath in Korean."

She also added, "I am very proud to be part of Christopher Luxon's National Party government."

Built recognition as a New Zealand anchor and more, serving six terms... Prayer read by Speaker also in Korean

Melissa Lee, then a five-term member of the National Assembly, reading the National Assembly prayer in Korean in 2021.
[Photo by New Zealand Parliament TV capture]

Minister Lee was born in 1966 in Korea, spent her childhood in Malaysia, and studied Communication at Deakin University in Australia.

She then moved to New Zealand in 1988 and worked as a journalist and anchor for 20 years.

During this time, she gained recognition as a presenter and producer of programs covering Asian culture and issues for 15 years at TVNZ, New Zealand's public broadcaster.

She was first elected as a member of parliament in 2008 representing the National Party and has since been elected six times through the most recent general election.

Previously, in 2021, Minister Lee read the prayer in Korean at the start of a parliamentary session, which is usually read by the Speaker of the New Zealand Parliament.

While prayers have been read in languages such as Tongan, Tuvaluan, and Niuean during language weeks in New Zealand, this was the first time a foreign language without a designated language week was used.

At that time, she expressed her desire to leave a record of Korean being used in the New Zealand Parliament as a Korean-descendant member.

Meanwhile, demand for learning Korean is increasing in New Zealand, and the Korean community there is reportedly expanding support efforts by establishing kindergarten classes for children under seven at Korean language schools in each region to enable learning of Korean language, culture, and history from an early age.

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