Yoon Government's First Ministers: Defense Lee Jong-seop, Welfare Jeong Ho-young, Science & Technology Lee Jong-ho, Culture & Sports Park Bo-gyun (Update)

by Lee Kimin

Published 10 Apr.2022 14:23(KST)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol on the 10th nominated former Joint Chiefs of Staff Deputy Chief (Retired Lieutenant General) Lee Jong-seop as the first Minister of National Defense of the Yoon administration, former Kyungpook National University Hospital Director Jeong Ho-young as Minister of Health and Welfare, Seoul National University Semiconductor Research Center Director Lee Jong-ho as Minister of Science and ICT, and former JoongAng Ilbo Vice President Park Bo-gyun as Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

On the same day at 2 p.m., Yoon announced the appointments of eight ministers, including the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, at the transition committee office in Tongui-dong, Seoul. Lee, who was appointed as Minister of National Defense, a key pillar of diplomacy and security, is currently serving as a member of the Foreign Affairs and Security Subcommittee of the Presidential Transition Committee. He participated in formulating Yoon’s security pledges, including the additional deployment of THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) and preemptive strikes against North Korea in emergencies. During the Park Geun-hye administration, he was promoted to lieutenant general and served as commander of the 7th Corps, and during the Moon Jae-in administration, he served as Deputy Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Yoon said, "Candidate Lee (former Deputy Chief Lee) graduated from the 40th class of the Korea Military Academy and has held key positions in field command, the Ministry of National Defense, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is recognized for his outstanding expertise in military operations and defense policy. In particular, he served as head of the ROK-U.S. Combined Defense Promotion at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, making significant contributions to the development of the ROK-U.S. security alliance." He added, "We expect him to build a strong security and robust defense capability and achieve close cooperation with allied countries."

Former hospital director Jeong served as executive director of the Korea Hospital Association, auditor of the Council of Tertiary Hospitals, director of Seoul National University Hospital, and president of the Korean Society of Medical Informatics. He is actively involved in the Korean Gastric Cancer Association and the Korean Society of Medical Informatics. At Kyungpook National University Hospital, he served as director of the Medical Information Center, director of Planning and Coordination, and director of Medical Affairs (vice president), and from 2017 to 2020, he served as the 38th hospital director.

Yoon said, "Former Director Jeong was the first in the nation to operate a COVID-19 residential treatment center and established an operational system at Kyungpook National University Hospital to ensure uninterrupted care for severe COVID-19 patients as well as general severe and emergency patients, enabling the hospital to serve as a regional responsibility medical institution." He emphasized, "We reflected the opinion that the vice minister should be a welfare expert and the minister should be a medical expert."

Director Lee is a professor in the Department of Electrical and Information Engineering at Seoul National University’s College of Engineering and director of the Seoul National University Semiconductor Joint Research Center. Since 2019, he has served as a civilian member of the Ministry of Science and ICT’s Special Committee on Materials, Parts, and Equipment Technology. He is credited with developing the world’s first three-dimensional (3D) semiconductor device technology called 'bulk FinFET,' opening a new chapter in semiconductors.

Yoon said, "Director Lee is a world-renowned semiconductor engineer known as the 'father of 3D semiconductors.' He earned his bachelor's degree at Kyungpook National University and his master's and doctoral degrees in electronic engineering at Seoul National University, making him a purely domestic-trained researcher." He added, "He is the optimal person to create an environment and provide policy support where domestic researchers can be recognized globally solely based on their skills, papers, and research results."

Former Vice President Park, nominated as the first Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, has worked as a journalist for nearly 40 years since 1981. He served as editor-in-chief and editor of JoongAng Ilbo and later as vice president of the newspaper. He also worked as a senior reporter and columnist for JoongAng Ilbo. During Yoon Seok-yeol’s presidential campaign, he served as a special advisor to the central election committee and campaign headquarters and currently serves as a special advisor to President-elect Yoon.

Yoon explained the reason for selecting former Vice President Park as Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism: "He devoted nearly 40 years to journalism with passion for culture and history. In particular, he discovered and reexamined the cultural value and diplomatic and historical significance of the late 19th-century Korean Empire legation building, which had been neglected in Washington D.C., USA." He added, "We believe he will greatly contribute to the promotion of culture, sports, and tourism, the deregulation of K-Culture, and the cultural export industry in the future."