[12·4 Cabinet Reshuffle] Yoon Accelerates Reshuffle... Appoints Experts and Career Bureaucrats to Speed Up Livelihood and Reform (Comprehensive)

Park Sang-woo of Land, Kang Do-hyung of Oceans and Fisheries, Oh Young-joo of SMEs
Choi Sang-mok of Strategy and Finance, Kang Jung-ae of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, Song Mi-ryeong of Agriculture and Food
Attention on veteran bureaucrats who handled ministry issues
Opening paths for candidates and new cabinet focuses on 'People's Livelihood'

On the 4th, President Yoon Suk-yeol carried out a cabinet reshuffle, replacing six ministers including nominating Choi Sang-mok, former senior secretary for economic affairs at the presidential office, as the candidate for Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance. Most of the new ministers are career bureaucrats who have intensively handled current issues in their respective ministries, reflecting the president's intention to swiftly address the people's economy in the third year of his administration through a new cabinet with policy expertise. It is also notable that three of the newly nominated minister candidates are women.

On the same day, Kim Dae-gi, Chief of Staff to the President, announced the appointments of candidates for the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and Ministry of SMEs and Startups at the Yongsan Presidential Office. Along with former senior secretary for economic affairs Choi, Song Mi-ryeong, former senior research fellow at the Korea Rural Economic Institute, was nominated for Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; Park Sang-woo, former president of Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport; Kang Do-hyung, president of the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, for Minister of Oceans and Fisheries; Oh Young-joo, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, for Minister of SMEs and Startups; and Kang Jeong-ae, former president of Sookmyung Women's University, for Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.

President Yoon Suk-yeol reshuffled six ministers on the 4th, appointing Choi Sang-mok, former senior presidential secretary for economic affairs (photo top row, far left), as the candidate for Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance. President Yoon also nominated Kang Jeong-ae, former president of Sookmyung Women's University (photo top row, second from left), as the candidate for Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs; Song Mi-ryeong, former senior research fellow at the Korea Rural Economic Institute, as Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; Park Sang-woo, former president of Korea Land and Housing Corporation (photo bottom row, far left), as Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport; Kang Do-hyung, director of the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, as Minister of Oceans and Fisheries; and Oh Young-joo, second vice foreign minister, as candidate for Minister of SMEs and Startups. [Photo by Yonhap News]

Replacing Six Ministers Likely to Run for Election First... Presidential Office Confident in 'Expertise'

The first round of cabinet reshuffle announced on this day involved ministers who are all likely to run in next year's general election. Minister of Economy and Finance Choo Kyung-ho, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong, Minister of SMEs and Startups Lee Young, Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Cho Seung-hwan, and Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Min-sik have all practically confirmed their candidacies, and Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Jeong Hyeon-geun is also consistently rumored to be drafted.

The presidential office is confident in the 'expertise' of the new cabinet. Chief of Staff Kim described candidate Choi Sang-mok as "a traditional economic bureaucrat who served as the presidential office's economic and financial secretary and as the first vice minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, possessing profound knowledge and insight into macro-finance and the overall economy, making him a top expert." He added, "We expect him to manage pressing economic and livelihood issues such as inflation and employment while fundamentally improving the structure of our economy."

Regarding candidate Kang Jeong-ae, Kim said, "She is a renowned female management scholar with extensive experience and strong trust as a senior figure. She is the daughter of a Korean War veteran and the granddaughter-in-law of an independence activist, showing a special interest and insight into veterans' affairs." About candidate Song Mi-ryeong, he introduced her as "a representative expert in balanced rural and urban development, currently serving as a member of the Presidential Committee on Rural Areas, participating in the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's agricultural policy. We expect her to contribute with her long-accumulated research and field experience."

Candidate Park Sang-woo was described as "a traditional bureaucrat in the field of land and transport, having served as director of the Housing and Land Office and director of the Planning and Coordination Office at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport." He was praised as "the right person to strengthen public housing safety and lead mobility innovation with his rich policy and field experience." Regarding candidate Kang Do-hyung, Kim said, "He is the youngest among the minister candidates, born in 1970. He has built research achievements in marine resources, was appointed president of the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology in a groundbreaking manner, and has been well-regarded for his smooth organizational management. We expect him to swiftly advance policy issues such as strengthening seafood safety management and improving fishing village policies based on his expertise and leadership in the marine sector."

About Oh Young-joo, the candidate for Minister of SMEs and Startups and current Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kim said, "He has actively supported the overseas expansion of our small and medium-sized venture companies while serving as director of the Development Cooperation Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ambassador to Vietnam, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs overseeing economic diplomacy. We expect him to lead the pioneering of new markets and globalization of SMEs and startups with his many years of experience and know-how in the economic and diplomatic fields."

"Policy Implementation Will Accelerate Once Cabinet Reshuffle Is Complete... Remaining Reshuffle Also Expected to Prioritize 'Expertise'

The presidential office is confident that policy implementation will accelerate further from the third year of the administration once the remaining cabinet reshuffle is completed. A senior official from the presidential office added, "The creation of the new Policy Office and the reassignment of each senior secretary can be seen as efforts to enhance effectiveness from a policy perspective." The official also expects agile policy response and judgment centered on the Policy Office, coordinating between senior secretaries and ministries.

The candidates themselves emphasized their expertise. After the announcement of his nomination, candidate Choi said, "I feel a heavy responsibility of 'Imjungdowon (任重道遠)' as I am nominated as Minister of Economy and Finance amid challenging domestic and international economic conditions." He added, "I will sincerely participate in the National Assembly hearing process." Imjungdowon means the task is heavy and the road is long.

Kang Jeong-ae, daughter of a war veteran and granddaughter-in-law of an independence activist, said, "Because my family has such a background on both sides, I have been very grateful but also faced many difficulties. Even standing here is difficult, but if the country needs my role, I came with determination to fulfill it."

Park Sang-woo, appointed as successor to Minister Won Hee-ryong, said, "I feel a very heavy responsibility as a minister candidate for a ministry with many tasks such as ensuring public housing stability, improving transportation convenience, and sound development of related industries." He added, "I will do my best to assist the president and achieve many results."

Kang Do-hyung, born in 1970 and the youngest among the candidates nominated on this day, emphasized, "Being called the youngest candidate means I should work even harder. I will do my best for the development of this government and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, as well as for the vitality of coastal economic regional residents." Oh Young-joo said, "Throughout my public service, I have worked with the motto 'the answer is on the ground.' If appointed, I will do my best to promote the globalization of our SMEs by working diligently on the ground." Candidate Song Mi-ryeong also expressed her ambition, saying, "I will devote all my efforts to flawlessly carrying out the government's agricultural policy tasks and achieving great results."

The remaining cabinet reshuffle is also expected to prioritize 'expertise.' Regarding the successor for the chairman of the Financial Services Commission, one of the key economic lines, Son Byung-doo, director of the Korea Exchange, who is reportedly the nominee, is a traditional bureaucrat who has worked at the Financial Services Commission and the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and is evaluated as having abundant capital market sense and practical know-how. However, the Ministry of Justice is expected to consider replacement timing only after President Yoon's upcoming visit to the Netherlands. There is also analysis that a one-point personnel change may occur at the end of the year or early next year, as Minister Han Dong-hoon is likely to run in the general election. Kim Hong-il, chairman of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, and former Seoul High Prosecutors' Office chiefs Gil Tae-gi and Park Seong-jae are under scrutiny. Kim Hong-il, a candidate for Minister of Justice, has also been mentioned as a potential successor to Broadcasting and Communications Commission chairman Lee Dong-gwan.