Yoon Government Appoints Won Hee-ryong as Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Kim Hyun-sook as Minister of Gender Equality and Family (Update)

Cabinet lineup announcement at 2 PM... Total of 8 members including Deputy Prime Minister for Economy to be announced

[Asia Economy Reporter Bae Kyunghwan] It was reported on the 10th that Won Heeryong, the Planning Committee Chairman of the Presidential Transition Committee, has been appointed as the first Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport under the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, and Kim Hyunsook, a policy special advisor to the President-elect, has been appointed as the Minister of Gender Equality and Family.

Chairman Won participated in the People Power Party's presidential primary and served as the head of the policy headquarters in the presidential candidate's campaign, overseeing the overall presidential policy pledges. He is considered one of the closest aides to the President-elect with the highest understanding of the pledges and directly led the counterattack against Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, regarding the Daejang-dong scandal during the election process.

Kim, appointed as the Minister of Gender Equality and Family, is a professor of economics at Soongsil University and served as a proportional representative member of the 19th National Assembly. She also served as the Senior Secretary for Employment and Welfare in the Blue House during the Park Geun-hye administration. Currently, she is serving as a policy special advisor to the President-elect, responsible for the abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and policies related to low birthrate and aging.

Other appointments besides the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Minister of Gender Equality and Family will be announced directly by President-elect Yoon at 2 p.m. Currently, Choo Kyung-ho, a People Power Party lawmaker and secretary of the Planning and Coordination Subcommittee of the Transition Committee, has been appointed as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance. Lawmaker Choo is a seasoned economic bureaucrat recognized for his capabilities, having served as Vice Chairman of the Financial Services Commission under the Lee Myung-bak administration and as the First Vice Minister of Economy and Finance under the Park Geun-hye administration. In politics, he served as a member of the 20th and 21st National Assembly, actively participating in the Planning and Finance Committee and the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, and recently served as the floor leader, making him well-equipped to respond to opposition attacks. The opinion that a current lawmaker should take the position considering the burden of confirmation hearings was also reflected.

As a candidate for the Chairman of the Financial Services Commission, Choi Sang-mok, president of Nonghyup University and secretary of the Economic Subcommittee 1 of the Transition Committee, is most frequently mentioned. President Choi served as the First Vice Minister of Economy and Finance during the Park Geun-hye administration.

However, the appointment of the Chief of Staff is expected to be excluded from today's announcement. Jang Je-won, the President-elect's Chief of Staff, also met with reporters in front of the Transition Committee office this morning and said, "Some announcements will be made today," but when asked about the Chief of Staff appointment, he replied, "It is not included."