Nominee Im Hye-sook "Focus on Overcoming COVID-19 and Completing the Korean New Deal"

The First Female Ministerial Candidate for the Ministry of Science and ICT... Meets Reporters on the First Day of Work on the 19th to Share Determination

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Im Hye-sook (58, photo), the first female nominee for Minister of Science and ICT, identified the completion of the Korean New Deal and overcoming COVID-19 as her key priorities.

On the morning of her first day after being nominated, Im met with reporters in front of the Seoul Gwanghwamun Post Office and said, "The Ministry of Science and ICT will take the lead in achieving digital transformation and strive to complete the Korean New Deal."

She added, "Artificial intelligence and ICT (Information and Communication Technology) are rapidly advancing, and digital transformation has become an important keyword of this era," expressing, "I feel a heavy responsibility rather than the honor of being nominated. I will devote all my efforts to establishing our country as a strong science and technology powerhouse based on science, technology, and ICT, and work hard to overcome COVID-19 early and create a new leap forward."

Regarding being the 'first female' Minister of Science and ICT, she said, "The title of being the first woman makes this already heavy mission even more weighty," and added, "Although it is a heavy responsibility, I want to be recognized for fulfilling my duties diligently."

On the reality that women in science and engineering fields are still relatively neglected in the science and technology and ICT industries, she stated, "I will look into what efforts ICT technology can make for women's career development."

Im emphasized that she will especially focus her capabilities on overcoming COVID-19. She said, "I believe we must overcome COVID-19 quickly. Just as we developed treatments, we should develop domestic vaccines as soon as possible to help the public feel more secure and enable economic activities."

Im was appointed chairperson of the National Science and Technology Council (NST) in January but stepped down after about three months. Concerns have been raised about the resulting work gap following her nomination as minister. She explained, "I feel most apologetic about that. Although the period was short, the experience of visiting the field at NST will be helpful for future cooperation and the Ministry of Science and ICT's work."

Im is a professor of electronic and electrical engineering at Ewha Womans University. Throughout her academic and industry career in electronics and electrical engineering, she has been known as the 'first woman' in many roles. She graduated from Seoul Songgok Girls' High School and earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in Control and Instrumentation Engineering from Seoul National University. She received her Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. She has worked at Samsung Hewlett-Packard, Bell Labs in the U.S., and Cisco Systems, and served as dean of the College of Engineering at Ewha Womans University and president of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers.

Starting today, Im began working at a temporary office set up at the Seoul Gwanghwamun Post Office to prepare for the confirmation hearing.