[Profile] Kwon Deok-cheol, Nominee for Minister of Health and Welfare: "Strength in Communication Skills"

Administrative Expert Who Served as the First Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare under the Moon Jae-in Government

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jung] Kwon Deok-cheol, president of the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, has been nominated as the Minister of Health and Welfare.

Nominee Kwon was born in 1961 in Namwon, Jeonbuk, and graduated from Jeonbuk Jeonra High School and Sungkyunkwan University with a degree in Public Administration. He later earned his master's and doctoral degrees in Public Administration from the German Speyer Graduate School of Public Administration.

A 31st pass of the Administrative Examination, he has held key positions at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, including Planning and Budget Officer, Financial Planning Officer, Childcare Policy Officer, Welfare Policy Officer, Director of Health and Medical Policy, and Director of Planning and Coordination, earning recognition as an expert encompassing both healthcare and social welfare fields.

He served as the Vice Minister of Health and Welfare at the start of the Moon Jae-in administration and was praised for smoothly coordinating the pressing tasks of Moon Jae-in Care. Last September, he was appointed as president of the Korea Health Industry Development Institute for a three-year term.

Nominee Kwon is highly trusted by juniors within the Ministry of Health and Welfare and is known for valuing communication within the organization, making him a suitable candidate to resolve current conflicts with the healthcare sector.

During the 2015 MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak, he served as the head of the Central MERS Management Headquarters, gaining experience in infectious disease crisis management.

On the same day, Cheong Wa Dae's Senior Secretary for Public Communication Jeong Man-ho said, "Nominee Kwon is an administrative expert who served as the first Vice Minister of Health and Welfare under the Moon administration. Through his extensive policy experience and strong yet gentle leadership, he will proactively respond to COVID-19, successfully carry out key tasks such as strengthening medical publicness and protecting vulnerable groups."