President Moon appoints Jo Kyung-sik, EBS Standing Auditor, as newly established Blue House Digital Innovation Secretary

Jokyung-sik, New Secretary for Digital Innovation at the Blue House

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] On the 16th, President Moon Jae-in appointed Cho Kyung-sik (57, 34th Administrative Examination) as the newly established Secretary for Digital Innovation following the reorganization of the Blue House.

Han Jung-woo, Deputy Spokesperson of the Blue House, announced this in a written briefing that afternoon. Deputy Spokesperson Han stated, "Secretary Cho is an expert who has practical and field experience in various policy areas such as the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, the Ministry of Science and ICT, and the Korea Communications Commission," adding, "Based on his diverse administrative experience in information, communications, broadcasting, and digital media, he is expected to contribute to creating a 'tangible change' that the public can feel through digital innovation," explaining the background of the appointment.

Secretary Cho graduated from Paichai High School in Seoul and earned a degree in Business Administration from Korea University. He holds master's degrees in Public Policy from the Korea Development Institute (KDI) Graduate School of International Policy and Management and in Financial Management from Michigan State University in the United States. He has served as the Policy Planning Officer at the former Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, Director of the Broadcasting Promotion Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Science and ICT, and Secretary-General of the Korea Communications Commission.

Deputy Spokesperson Han explained, "The establishment of the Secretary for Digital Innovation reflects the Moon Jae-in administration's strong will to create innovative growth, economic vitality, and definite change through DNA (Data, Network, AI) and science and technology in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution," adding, "He will be responsible for digital innovation-related policy tasks, which are a key focus of the Moon administration's second half."

Meanwhile, the Blue House plans to sequentially announce successor appointments for some secretarial positions recently vacated due to candidacy for the general election. It is reported that suitable candidates are being sought from groups including the media, political circles, academia, legal professions, and internal selections for the new spokesperson.

Kim Mi-kyung (45, 33rd Judicial Research and Training Institute) is reportedly the leading candidate to succeed former Balanced Personnel Secretary Kwon Hyang-yeop. Attorney Kim previously served as a policy advisor to former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk and worked as a senior administrative officer when Cho was the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs at the Blue House. However, there are concerns due to her lack of experience in personnel-related work and her close association with former Minister Cho, which has sparked some controversy.

Although not running for the general election, the successor to Hong Seung-ah, Secretary for Women and Family Affairs, who recently tendered her resignation, is also expected to be appointed soon.