[Exclusive] Hanyang University Professor Yu Hyemi Likely to Become First Low Birthrate Secretary

The Only Female Secretary-Level Official in the Presidential Office at Appointment
'40s Working Mom with Multiple Children' Shows Growing Interest in Low Birthrate Issue

Professor Yoo Hyemi of Hanyang University College of Economics and Finance, who serves as the Chairperson of the Inclusive Finance Special Committee under the Presidential Committee for National Integration, attended the launch ceremony of the special committee held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 17th and delivered a greeting. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The presidential office is confirmed to be considering Professor Yoo Hyemi from Hanyang University's Department of Economics and Finance as a strong candidate for the newly established Chief Secretary for Low Birthrate. If Professor Yoo's appointment is finalized, she will become the only female chief secretary at the current presidential office secretary level. A senior presidential office official told Asia Economy, "As a result of prioritizing the appointment of a working mom in her 40s, Professor Yoo was ultimately shortlisted."

President Yoon first announced plans to establish a Low Birthrate Response Planning Department as a measure to tackle South Korea's severe low birthrate issue during a press conference marking his second anniversary in office last May. On the 13th of the same month, at the Chief Secretary meeting, he instructed the creation of a chief secretary position for low birthrate within the presidential office, stating that they would respond with full force to low birthrate issues.

In particular, President Yoon cited the example of his mother, Choi Jeongja, a former professor at Ewha Womans University, who had to eventually quit her professorship while raising him and his younger sister in the 1960s. He expressed the intention to prioritize appointing a working mom as the inaugural Chief Secretary for Low Birthrate. Consequently, the top priority for the appointment became a working mom in her 40s who could personally experience the challenges of balancing work and childcare and propose practical solutions to the low birthrate problem. However, due to the limited pool of female candidates, the appointment process was delayed for nearly two months without finding a suitable candidate. During this process, male chief secretaries were also mentioned, but it is reported that President Yoon strongly insisted on appointing a female chief secretary.

Professor Yoo was born in 1977, graduated from Seoul National University's Department of Economics, and joined the Bank of Korea. She then went abroad to study in the United States, earning a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Rochester. After serving as an assistant professor in the Department of Economics at the State University of New York at Buffalo, she is currently a professor at Hanyang University's Department of Economics and Finance. Her husband is Professor Seok Byunghun of Ewha Womans University's Department of Economics, and the couple, both economists, have twin children attending elementary school. Through the media, Professor Yoo has pointed out the problems of South Korea's low birthrate policies and emphasized the need for groundbreaking solutions and alternatives, such as childcare subsidies.

A presidential office official said, "Considering the enormous social and economic ripple effects of the low birthrate issue, we have been searching for a suitable candidate who has an economic mindset and can promote various support policies." Since one of the main duties of the Chief Secretary for Low Birthrate is the preparatory work for establishing the Population Strategy Planning Department, which requires amendments to the Government Organization Act in the National Assembly, there is an internal consensus that a person with the insight to oversee budgets is necessary, which played a major role in the appointment process.

If Professor Yoo's appointment is confirmed, she will be the second female chief secretary under the Yoon administration, following former Public Relations Chief Secretary Kim Eunhye. Considering that Professor Yoo is a "woman in her 40s," it is interpreted that diversity was taken into account in the appointment.