Yoon Administration Completes Review of Second Cabinet Appointments... Presidential Office Lineup Also Being Coordinated

Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and 10 Ministries to Be Announced as Early as the 13th... "Will Accelerate Considering National Assembly and Transition Committee Schedules"

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol is expected to nominate candidates for 10 ministerial posts, including the Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, as early as the 13th. Considering the National Assembly hearing schedule, the transition team plans to expedite the appointments, and it has been confirmed that some candidates have already completed the vetting process.

On the 11th, a transition team official stated, "Our goal is to complete all ministerial appointments within this week," adding, "The review of the vetting reports is also nearing completion."

Following the announcement of eight ministerial candidates, including the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of Economy and Finance the previous day, the remaining positions in the government organization are the Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, Minister of Justice, Minister of the Interior and Safety, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Unification, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, Minister of Environment, Minister of Employment and Labor, and Minister of SMEs and Startups ? a total of 10 posts.

In political circles, considering fixed variables such as the National Assembly schedule and the transition team's selection of national agenda items, it is highly likely that the announcement will be made around the 13th. President-elect Yoon also stated, "I will promptly announce the remaining candidates to the public as soon as their vetting is completed," and Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo explained, "Since there is a hearing schedule, efforts are being made to finish the work quickly."

Currently, candidates for Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs include Professor Jung Cheol-young of Seoul National University, Professor Emeritus Choi Jin-seok of Sogang University, and former Vice Minister of Education Na Seung-il. For Minister of Foreign Affairs, lawmakers Park Jin and Cho Tae-yong of the People Power Party are competing, while former Vice Minister of Unification Kim Cheon-sik is being considered for Minister of Unification.

For Minister of Justice, where the policy of excluding politicians is likely to be applied, former Seoul High Prosecutor General Cho Sang-chul and former Daejeon High Prosecutor General Kang Nam-il, both with prosecutorial backgrounds, are being mentioned. For Minister of the Interior and Safety, the names of Lee Tae-gyu, a close aide to Ahn Cheol-soo, Chairman of the Presidential Transition Committee, and Lee Cheol-gyu of the People Power Party are circulating.

An official from the transition team explained that the appointment of presidential office aides will take more time. After completing all ministerial appointments, practical discussions will begin. For Chief of Staff to the President, Kim Han-gil, Chairman of the National Integration Committee of the transition team, and Kang Seok-hoon, former Senior Secretary for Economic Affairs at the Blue House, have been mentioned. Considering that President-elect Yoon is looking for a Chief of Staff with political acumen who can also cooperate with the economic line, former Minister of Knowledge Economy Choi Joong-kyung and former Blue House Policy Chief Kim Dae-gi are also classified as strong candidates.

Additionally, for the inaugural Director of the National Security Office in the presidential office, former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Kim Sung-han, who served during the Lee Myung-bak administration and is currently the secretary of the foreign and security subcommittee at the transition team, is a leading candidate. For Director of the National Intelligence Service, former Political Second Secretary at the Korean Embassy in the U.S. Kwon Chun-taek is reportedly under consideration. Former Secretary Kwon is a National Intelligence Service career official with experience cooperating with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).