Reform to Secure 'General Election and Livelihood'... Policy Capability Prioritized in Third Year of Administration

President Yoon to Reshuffle Over 7 Ministries as Early as the 4th
Opening Path for Ministers Running in General Election, Replacing with Experts
Mid-to-Late Administration Prioritizes Policy Skills Over Political Ability
All Economic Line Officials Are Career Bureaucrats... Expecting Speed in Third Year of Administration

President Yoon Suk-yeol will carry out a large-scale cabinet reshuffle on the afternoon of the 4th. This is interpreted as an effort to accelerate people-centered policies in the third year of his administration through cabinet renewal. As the administration enters its mid-term, the president's judgment is seen as emphasizing the need for policy capabilities over political skills among the heads of ministries. It is highly likely that the vacancies will be filled by experts such as bureaucrats or professors, while naturally opening the way for ministers who will run in next year's general election.

The ministries expected to be reshuffled this afternoon include at least seven: the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Employment and Labor, and Ministry of Science and ICT. All of these ministers are rumored to be running in the general election, with four?Minister of Economy and Finance Choo Kyung-ho, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong, Minister of SMEs and Startups Lee Young, and Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Cho Seung-hwan?virtually confirmed to run. There are also persistent rumors about the recruitment of Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Jeong Hwang-geun and Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jeong-sik. This reshuffle is a strategic move to place highly competitive ministers at the forefront for victory in next year's general election, which is crucial for the Yoon administration's fate.

The new cabinet shows a clear intention to be filled with 'experts.' A representative example is the nomination of Choi Sang-mok, former senior secretary for economic affairs at the presidential office, as the new Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance. The newly appointed Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, who oversees the government's housing policy, and the candidates for the new Financial Services Commission chairman, Park Sang-woo, former president of Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), and Sohn Byung-doo, chairman of the Korea Exchange, are all classified as career bureaucrats.

President Yoon's governance philosophy of 'not making personnel changes for the sake of turning the tide' also appears to be reflected. Although this could be seen as an early reshuffle triggered by the failure to attract the Expo, the reshuffle is taking place naturally in line with the general election atmosphere. A presidential office official explained the background of this reshuffle, saying, "Regardless of the variable of the general election results, it is a point where we can no longer delay the work of reflecting and supplementing the policies established in the early stages of the administration."

Accordingly, the presidential office is confident that the pace of policy implementation will accelerate from the third year of the administration. Another senior presidential office official added, "The creation of a new Policy Office and the reallocation of senior secretaries can be seen as efforts to enhance effectiveness from a policy perspective." This official also expects agile policy response judgments among the Policy Office, senior secretaries, and ministries.

President Yoon held discussions with his aides late into the night before the reshuffle to maximize these effects. For now, all successors to the ministers to be replaced are known to have been verified for 'expertise' both internally and externally. Choi, the former senior secretary who will be the 'key man' responsible for economic policy in the mid-to-late stages of the Yoon administration, has a deep understanding of macroeconomics and overall economic policy, having held key positions such as director of financial policy and director of economic policy at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and served as economic and financial secretary and first vice minister during the Park Geun-hye administration.

Park Sang-woo, the leading candidate for the new Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, is similar. He has served as director of construction policy, director of land policy, director of housing and land, and director of planning and coordination at the ministry, and his experience overseeing the government's supply of rental housing has been highly evaluated. It is reported that the reason Park became a leading candidate reflects the voices of related industries calling for a minister from within the ministry who can properly handle current issues.

The successor for the Financial Services Commission chairman, one of the key economic lines, was also chosen based on expertise. Sohn, the nominated chairman, is a career bureaucrat who has worked at the Financial Services Commission and the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and is praised for his capital market insight and practical know-how. Other leading candidates for ministries such as SMEs and Startups and Oceans and Fisheries are also classified as career bureaucrats. Song Sang-geun, former vice minister and a candidate for the new Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in economics and began his public service career at the Korea Maritime and Port Administration during its 36th term, holding key positions in maritime and fisheries for nearly 30 years. Song Mi-ryeong, senior research fellow at the Korea Rural Economic Institute and identified as the successor to Minister Jeong Hwang-geun of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, is regarded as a top expert in rural regional development projects. She is known for producing outstanding results in research on improving policies for rural quality of life in the era of population decline.

However, regarding the Ministry of Justice, it is known that replacement will be considered only after President Yoon's visit to the Netherlands next week. Minister Han Dong-hoon is likely to run in the general election, so a one-point personnel change may occur at the end of the year or early next year. Candidates under review include Kim Hong-il, chairman of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, and former Seoul High Prosecutors' Office chiefs Gil Tae-gi and Park Sung-jae. Kim Hong-il, a candidate for Minister of Justice, has also been mentioned as a candidate for chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, succeeding Lee Dong-gwan. Additionally, media figures such as Lee Sang-in, vice chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, and Lee Jin-sook, former president of Daejeon MBC, have been named. Among vice minister-level officials, Jang Mi-ran, second vice minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is being considered for running in the general election either in the constituency of Democratic Party lawmaker Ahn Min-seok in Osan, Gyeonggi Province, or as a proportional representative. Accordingly, former vice president of the Korea Football Association Lee Young-pyo is reported to have undergone successor verification procedures.