The Bureaucrat Who Protected Koreans in War, Now Leading Land and Transport R&D

A Veteran Bureaucrat with 30 Years at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport,
Respected Leader Recognized for Integrity and Trust
Held Key Positions Across Housing, Transportation, Urban Affairs, and National Territory
The 'Unsung Hero' Who Supported the Evacuation of Korean Nationals During the Libyan Civil War
Appointed President of KAIA in January,
Driving Practical R&D Innovation

Kim Jeonghee, President of the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement (KAIA), is a seasoned bureaucrat who has built a reputation for perseverance and communication over his 30-year public service career. During his tenure at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, he was selected as an 'Exemplary Leader' for two consecutive years and was highly regarded within the organization as a colleague everyone wanted to work with.

In 2011, during the 'Tripoli Evacuation Operation,' Kim Jeonghee, Director of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (center), safely boarded the expatriates onto the Choi Young ship and had a late lunch at Shawarma. Ministry of Foreign Affairs Facebook.

Born in Hampyeong, South Jeolla Province in 1968, he graduated from Kumho High School in Gwangju and majored in Public Administration at Chonnam National University. He entered public service in 1994 through the 37th Higher Civil Service Examination, joining the Ministry of Construction and Transportation (now the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport). He further developed his policy expertise by earning a Ph.D. in Regional and Urban Planning from Newcastle University in the United Kingdom.

Having spent his entire public service career at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, he held key positions such as Director of Housing Welfare Policy, Director of Automobile Policy, Director of National Territory Policy, Director of the Seoul Regional Office of Land and Infrastructure, and Standing Member of the Central Land Expropriation Committee. With experience spanning housing, transportation, urban affairs, and national territory, he led organizations with a leadership style characterized by attentive listening and harmony.

The most dramatic moment in President Kim's career was during the 2011 Libyan civil war. At the time, he was serving as Director of Land, Infrastructure and Transport at the Embassy in Libya. Immediately after the outbreak of the civil war, he played a key role in the 'Tripoli Evacuation Operation,' in which the Cheonghae Unit's Choi Young ship was dispatched for the evacuation. He assisted Korean nationals in safely boarding the vessel, successfully supporting the evacuation mission. Although his original assignment was for three years, he sent his family abroad for safety and remained for an additional year to complete the mission of protecting expatriates. In recognition of this dedication, he was selected as a 'Proud Overseas Construction Diplomat' by the International Contractors Association of Korea in 2010.

After completing 30 years of public service, he took on a new challenge by becoming President of KAIA in January of this year. Now, as the head of a government research and development (R&D) institution, he is leading global innovation in the fields of land, transportation, and construction through KAIA. President Kim, under the philosophy that 'technology is policy,' is driving agile and practical R&D innovation based on field experience.

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