Ministry of Science and ICT Sends Only 'Science and Technology' Personnel to Yoon Seok-yeol's Transition Team... ICT Excluded

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 21st that it will dispatch two officials, Lee Chang-yoon, Director of Basic and Fundamental Research Policy, and Yoon Sung-hoon, Director of Public Energy Coordination, to the transition committee of Yoon Seok-yeol, the 20th President-elect. Director Lee will serve as a professional committee member at the director-general level, and Director Yoon will work as a practical committee member at the director level in the Science, Technology, and Education Subcommittee of the transition committee.

Earlier, the Ministry of Science and ICT reportedly recommended four individuals as professional committee members last week: Kang Do-hyun, Director of Information and Communication Policy; Ryu Je-myung, Director of AI-based Policy; Lee Chang-yoon, Director of Basic and Fundamental Research Policy; and Kim Sung-soo, Director of Research and Development Investment Review.

All dispatched personnel belong to the First Vice Minister’s Office, which is responsible for the science and technology sector. Those from the ICT sector and the Second Vice Minister’s Office, responsible for innovation in science and technology policy and research, as well as the Science and Technology Innovation Headquarters, were not included.

In the past, the Ministry of Science and ICT dispatched only one person to the transition committee of President-elect Moon Jae-in. For President-elect Park Geun-hye’s transition committee, five people were dispatched across the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the Korea Communications Commission.

This has sparked concerns of neglect within the ICT industry. In the current transition committee of President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol, ICT experts such as Professor Kim Chang-kyung of Hanyang University joined the Science, Technology, and Education Subcommittee, and Yoo Woong-hwan, former head of SK Innovation Group and advisor to SK Telecom, joined the Economic Subcommittee 2.