ICT Management to be Handled by 2nd Vice Minister of Ministry of Science and ICT, Still Uncertain

Disruption of the Cadre → Ministry of Economy and Finance Alumni → Internal Appointment Rumors Intensify Confusion

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] ‘Breaking seniority → Ministry of Economy and Finance background → back to square one.’

Although the formation of the first cabinet of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration is mostly complete, the appointment of the 2nd Vice Minister to oversee ICT affairs at the Ministry of Science and ICT remains uncertain.

On the 24th, at a meeting held at Puriosa AI in Gangnam-gu, Seoul at 2 p.m., Minister Lee Jong-ho of the Ministry of Science and ICT said regarding the 2nd Vice Minister appointment, "It seems it will be announced soon." Regarding the instruction given at the Regulatory Innovation Ministerial Meeting held that day to form regulatory innovation task forces (TF) in all government departments, he explained, "The government has a strong interest in regulatory rationalization," adding, "There are many regulations in the ICT sector, but so far there have been no major problems, and we can discuss and resolve them together."

Inside and outside the government, there is growing emphasis on appointing an ‘internal director-level official’ to the 2nd Vice Minister position at the Ministry of Science and ICT. Traditionally, the 2nd Vice Minister has been promoted from director-level officials within the ministry responsible for the ICT sector. However, early in the cabinet formation, rumors of appointing a bureau chief-level internal official sparked controversy over ‘breaking seniority.’ This was because there had never been a precedent of a bureau chief-level official becoming a vice minister. The mentioned candidate, Song Sang-hoon, Director of the Information and Communication Industry Policy Office, joined in 1997 through a special doctoral recruitment, which corresponds to the 40th to 41st administrative examination cohort, making him 5 to 6 seniority levels junior to 1st Vice Minister Oh Tae-seok (35th cohort). After Director Song declined the position himself, the 2nd Vice Minister appointment entered a foggy state.

There was also speculation about recruiting talent from the Ministry of Economy and Finance. This was based on the background that cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Economy and Finance is important to strengthen the Digital Platform Government project, as well as the need to secure budgets. The fact that officials from the Ministry of Economy and Finance were appointed to vice minister-level positions in the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Korea Customs Service, Public Procurement Service, and Statistics Korea in the Yoon administration’s first cabinet also influenced this.

Recently, the ‘internal appointment theory’ has resurfaced. To support Minister Lee Jong-ho, a semiconductor expert with limited ICT-related experience, an internal official with a high understanding of ICT is considered suitable. Moreover, since President Yoon Seok-yeol declared at the inaugural summit of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) that South Korea will actively cooperate in digital transformation fields such as 5G and 6G, leadership by an ICT expert is urgently needed. President Yoon emphasized, "Korea has the world’s best telecommunications technology, having commercialized 5G first," and added, "We will lead new technological innovations such as artificial intelligence (AI), data, and 6G, and contribute to building digital infrastructure." To lead innovation in the global technology hegemony competition, it is essential to establish the right direction for ICT policy. For this, the active role of internal talent with decades of experience researching and handling ICT issues and possessing high expertise is necessary.

A government official said, "As the announcement of the 2nd Vice Minister is delayed, voices criticizing the neglect of ICT are growing louder," adding, "It is unlikely that an unexpected figure will be appointed."