President-elect Yoon Announces 8 Ministerial Candidates... "Leaders Who Will Guide the Nation and People" (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol announced the first cabinet appointments of the new government on the 10th, including Choo Kyung-ho as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance. It has been a week since the announcement of the Prime Minister nominee, and half of the appointments for the 18 ministries have been completed. The transition committee stated that it is highly likely that the remaining ministerial appointments will all be announced within this week.

At 2 p.m. that day, President-elect Yoon nominated candidates for eight ministries, including Choo, at a press conference held at the transition committee in Tongui-dong, Seoul. Won Hee-ryong, chairman of the transition committee’s planning committee, was nominated as Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport; Lee Jong-seop, former deputy chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as Minister of National Defense; Park Bo-gyun, former editor-in-chief of JoongAng Ilbo, as Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Jeong Ho-young, former director of Kyungpook National University Hospital, as Minister of Health and Welfare; Kim Hyun-sook, professor of economics at Soongsil University, as Minister of Gender Equality and Family; Lee Chang-yang, professor at KAIST, as Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy; and Lee Jong-ho, director of the Seoul National University Semiconductor Joint Research Center, as Minister of Science and ICT.

Regarding the criteria for appointments, President-elect Yoon said, "We selected and verified candidates based solely on whether they are the best people to take charge and lead their respective fields for the country and the people." He emphasized, "From the election campaign process, I said I would not do any quota or allocation. Since there are many public offices to be appointed anyway and Korea’s talents are not concentrated in one area, I believe that balance will naturally be achieved in terms of region, generation, and gender."

The eight ministerial nominees of the first cabinet under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. (Top row from left) People Power Party lawmaker Chu Kyung-ho (Deputy Prime Minister for Economy and Minister of Economy and Finance), KAIST professor Lee Chang-yang (Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy), Won Hee-ryong, Planning Committee Chairman of the Presidential Transition Committee (Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport), Lee Jong-seop, former Deputy Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Minister of National Defense). (Bottom row from left) Lee Jong-ho, Director of the Semiconductor Research Center at Seoul National University (Minister of Science and ICT), Jeong Ho-young, former Director of Kyungpook National University Hospital (Minister of Health and Welfare), Park Bo-gyun, former Vice President of JoongAng Ilbo (Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism), Kim Hyun-sook, former lawmaker (Minister of Gender Equality and Family) [Image source=Yonhap News]

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◆ Appointment of orthodox economic bureaucrat Choo Kyung-ho... Surprise card 'Won Hee-ryong' for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport = President-elect Yoon explained the background of appointing Choo by saying, "Choo is a traditional economic bureaucrat who served as the first vice minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance and as head of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, and has been highly evaluated for his planning and coordination abilities regarding national issues." He added, "In the National Assembly, he served as the secretary of the Strategy and Finance Committee and as the chief deputy floor leader, leading the party’s strategic planning and floor negotiations. Based on his expertise in public office and legislative experience, we expect him to lay the foundation for our economy’s leap forward and to communicate smoothly with the legislature."

Unlike Choo, whose appointment news had already been known, surprise appointments such as Won Hee-ryong, chairman of the planning committee, and Lee Jong-ho, director, also attracted attention. Regarding Won’s nomination, President-elect Yoon said, "He served twice as governor of Jeju and carried out innovative administration such as Jeju-style smart city and smart green city. During the presidential election, he was the head of the policy headquarters of the People Power Party’s campaign, designing major policy pledges, and he has a deep understanding of real estate policies where fairness and common sense need to be restored."

In fact, Won participated in the People Power Party’s presidential primary and then served as head of the policy headquarters in the presidential candidate’s campaign, overseeing the entire election policy platform. He is one of the closest aides to the president-elect with the highest understanding of the pledges and directly led the counterattack against Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, regarding the Daejang-dong scandal during the election process.

Lee Jong-seop, nominee for Minister of National Defense, is also considered a surprise appointment. However, President-elect Yoon explained, "He is recognized for his outstanding expertise in military operations and national defense policy. We expect him to build a strong security and powerful defense while maintaining close cooperation with allied countries."

Lee served as a member of the transition committee’s foreign and security subcommittee and was deeply involved in key policies related to the Korea-US alliance, such as the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), during the Lee Myung-bak administration as deputy director of policy planning at the Ministry of National Defense. He was promoted to major general during the Park Geun-hye administration and served as corps commander, and under the Moon Jae-in administration, he was the deputy chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the second highest position in the Joint Chiefs.

◆ Cabinet focused on expertise, additional appointments to be finalized this week = President-elect Yoon also highly evaluated the expertise of the remaining ministerial candidates. Regarding Lee Jong-ho, nominee for Minister of Science and ICT, he said, "He is a world-renowned authority in semiconductor technology and is expected to lead the development of advanced science and technology, which forms the foundation for dynamic innovative growth."

Lee is a professor in the Department of Electrical and Information Engineering at Seoul National University’s College of Engineering and serves as director of the Seoul National University Semiconductor Joint Research Center. Since 2019, he has also 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 opening a new chapter in semiconductors by developing the world’s first 3D semiconductor device technology called 'bulk FinFET,' ahead of Intel in the United States.

Regarding Park Bo-gyun, nominee for Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, President-elect Yoon introduced him as "a person who discovered and reappraised the cultural value and diplomatic-historical significance of the Korean Empire’s consulate at the end of the 19th century, which was located in Washington DC, and contributed to returning the consulate to the nation’s possession. We expect smooth communication with the media."

Park is classified as a traditional journalist. He served as editor-in-chief and editor of JoongAng Ilbo and later as vice president of JoongAng Ilbo. He also worked as a senior reporter and columnist for JoongAng Ilbo. During President-elect Yoon’s presidential campaign, he served as a special advisor to the central campaign committee and the campaign headquarters.

According to President-elect Yoon’s pledge, Kim Hyun-sook, a special advisor, was appointed to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, which is expected to undergo organizational restructuring. Kim is a former professor of economics at Soongsil University and served as a member of the 19th National Assembly. She currently serves as a policy special advisor to the president-elect, handling policies related to the abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, low birthrate, and aging population. President-elect Yoon said of Kim, "She has designed family policies such as infant care and elementary school after-school care during the election process. We expect her to focus on population measures and family policies."

Regarding Jeong Ho-young, nominee for Minister of Health and Welfare, he said, "During the COVID-19 outbreak in Daegu, he operated the COVID-19 living support center and established an operational system to ensure that treatment for severe patients and general emergency patients was carried out without gaps." Regarding Lee Chang-yang, nominee for Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, he said, "He is a technology innovation and economic expert with a well-established reputation for his insight and knowledge of advanced industries. He is the right person to draw the blueprint for upgrading the industrial structure to overcome Korea’s economic low growth."

The remaining appointments are likely to be announced as early as this week. President-elect Yoon said, "We will announce them as soon as the verification is completed." Regarding the Democratic Party’s announcement of 'thorough verification,' President-elect Yoon said, "The standards for appointment and verification of high-ranking public officials ultimately reflect the perspective and expectations of the people. I have nothing more to say."

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