President-elect Yoon to Announce Second Cabinet Today... At Least 7-8 Ministers to Be Revealed

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol announced the inaugural cabinet lineup on the afternoon of the 10th at the 20th Presidential Transition Committee in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. On this day, President-elect Yoon announced the appointments for the Minister of Economy and Finance, Ministry of Planning and Finance, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. Photo by Transition Committee Press Corps

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[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol will announce the second cabinet lineup on the 13th afternoon.

President-elect Yoon is expected to reveal the appointments for at least 7 to 8 of the remaining 10 ministries on that day.

The ministries involved include the Ministry of Education (Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Unification, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Employment and Labor, Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and Ministry of Environment.

A representative from President-elect Yoon's camp explained, "We may announce all of the remaining 10 ministries, but a couple of ministries still require final coordination."

After completing a 1-night, 2-day visit to Daegu and Gyeongbuk (TK), President-elect Yoon returned to Seoul the previous afternoon, received the second lineup report, and is known to have made the final selections of candidates.

For the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the principle of excluding politicians is expected to be applied, while Professor Jeong Cheol-young of Seoul National University is mainly mentioned as the candidate for Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education.

Park Jin, a member of the National Assembly, is reportedly virtually nominated as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Assemblyman Cho Tae-yong, who emerged as a strong contender, is said to be a likely candidate for Ambassador to the United States.

For the Ministry of Unification, Assemblyman Kwon Young-se is the leading candidate, with former Deputy Minister of Unification Kim Cheon-sik also being mentioned.

Han Chan-sik, former head of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office, is considered a strong candidate for Minister of Justice, with former Seoul High Prosecutors' Office Chief Jo Sang-chul also being mentioned.

Professor Won Sook-yeon of Ewha Womans University, president of the Korean Association for Public Administration, is a leading candidate for Minister of the Interior and Safety.

For Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, former Chairman of the Korea Maritime Transportation Safety Authority Lee Yeon-seung and former President of the Korea Institute of Marine Science and Technology Promotion Cho Seung-hwan are considered strong candidates.

Former Assemblywoman Na Kyung-won is among the candidates for Minister of Environment, Assemblyman Lee Yong-ho for Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and Professor Kim Tae-gi, emeritus professor of economics at Dankook University, for Minister of Employment and Labor.

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is announcing the inaugural cabinet list on the afternoon of the 10th at the 20th Presidential Transition Committee in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. From the left: Won Hee-ryong, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport; Kim Hyun-sook, Ministry of Gender Equality and Family; Park Bo-gyun, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Choo Kyung-ho, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance nominee; Han Duck-soo, Prime Minister nominee; President-elect Yoon; Lee Jong-sup, Ministry of National Defense; Lee Chang-yang, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy; Jung Ho-young, Ministry of Health and Welfare; Lee Jong-ho, Ministry of Science and ICT nominee. Photo by Transition Committee Press Corps

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Additionally, President-elect Yoon will announce some appointments for the presidential secretariat, including the first Chief of Staff and Senior Secretary for Political Affairs.

Kim Dae-gi, former head of the Blue House Policy Office, is virtually nominated as the first Chief of Staff. Kim previously served as Presidential Chief of Economic Policy and Policy Office Chief during the Lee Myung-bak administration.

Appointments for the Director of the National Security Office and Senior Secretary for Public Relations will be announced later.

Meanwhile, as Assemblyman Lee Tae-gyu, a close aide to Presidential Transition Committee Chairman Ahn Cheol-soo, resigned from the transition committee stating "I have no intention of joining the cabinet," attention is focused on whether figures recommended by the People’s Party, so-called Ahn Cheol-soo faction members, will be appointed.

Choi Jin-seok, honorary professor at Sogang University and former standing election campaign committee chairman during Ahn Cheol-soo’s presidential candidacy, is among the candidates for Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education. However, a representative from President-elect Yoon’s camp stated, “Factionalism is the worst thing,” adding, “As you know, that does not exist.”

There is also interest in whether President-elect Yoon will appoint a large number of ministers from Honam region and women. This follows criticism that the first lineup included many men in their 50s and those from the TK region.

Among the leading candidates mentioned, Assemblyman Lee Yong-ho of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is the only member of the People Power Party from the Honam constituency, and former Chairman Lee Yeon-seung (candidate for Minister of Oceans and Fisheries) attracts attention as Korea’s first female PhD in naval architecture.

However, since President-elect Yoon stated during the first lineup that “I appointed the most competent people without any quotas or allocations,” it is likely that the same principle will be maintained in this round of appointments.

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