"Denied Any Illegal or Unfair Acts Until the End... Allegations Are False"
Hospital and Medical Administration Experts Considered for New Candidate... Vacancy Expected to Continue Until After Local Elections
Jung Ho-young, nominee for Minister of Health and Welfare, attended the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 3rd of this month. After completing the morning questioning, he is leaving the hearing room. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@
[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Jeong Ho-young, the nominee for Minister of Health and Welfare, voluntarily resigned, stating that he would "become a grain of wheat for the success of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration and bipartisan cooperation." This comes 43 days after his nomination. Although the Presidential Office immediately began selecting a successor, the vacancy at the helm of health and welfare is expected to last longer due to the upcoming June 1 local elections.
On the 23rd at around 9:30 p.m., Jeong issued a statement through the Ministry of Health and Welfare, officially announcing his resignation by saying, "There have been shortcomings raised from the public’s perspective, and I humbly accept such criticisms." Until now, despite various controversies including allegations of preferential treatment involving himself and his two children, he had maintained that he was "upright" and had no intention to resign. However, as pressure for his resignation intensified from the ruling party and across the board, he ultimately decided to step down voluntarily.
Even until his final moment of resignation, Jeong stated, "Despite numerous allegations, no illegal or improper acts have been revealed, and through objective data and evidence, these allegations have been proven false." He also expressed, "I apologize to those who felt uncomfortable because of me."
At the time of his nomination, Jeong was known as a "40-year acquaintance" of President Yoon Seok-yeol and was expected to play a significant role in COVID-19 response and healthcare as a medical administration expert who first operated a living support center during the early stages of the 2020 Daegu COVID-19 outbreak.
However, he came under intense scrutiny after it was revealed that his daughter and son had consecutively applied for and been accepted through the academic transfer track at Kyungpook National University College of Medicine while he held a senior position at Kyungpook National University Hospital. Further suspicions arose regarding his son’s military service evaluation change, with allegations of "dad’s power" influencing the process, ultimately resulting in the failure to adopt the personnel hearing report.
Although Jeong was dismissed, it is widely expected that the appointment of a new minister candidate will take place after the June 1 local elections. Currently, the Ministry of Health and Welfare is operating under a dual vice-minister system with Cho Kyu-hong as the first vice minister and Lee Ki-il as the second vice minister, both appointed by the new government. Minister Kwon Deok-cheol submitted his resignation on the 17th and has been on leave since.
The Ministry faces numerous challenges, including the stable promotion of daily life recovery in the post-Omicron era. In particular, the government must implement 34 tasks outlined in the COVID-19 100-day roadmap, which emphasizes "scientific quarantine," by mid-August. There are forecasts that a COVID-19 resurgence could begin as early as this summer, and globally, there is a high risk of new infectious diseases spreading, such as monkeypox. Additionally, pressing welfare issues such as national pension reform and measures to address low birth rates and an aging society remain.
The Presidential Office is reportedly already searching for and vetting Jeong’s successor. Candidates under consideration include health and medical experts capable of responding to COVID-19 and with administrative experience in hospital management, such as Yoon Do-heum, Vice President for Medical Affairs at CHA University, and In Yo-han, Director of Severance International Healthcare Center. Within the ministry, former Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency Director Jeong Ki-seok and Kim Kang-lip, head of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and former vice minister of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, are also considered strong candidates.
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