Kim Su-kyung: "Ministry of Unification Will Become an Organization That Is Treated According to Performance"

New Vice Minister Inauguration Ceremony... First Female Vice Minister of the Ministry of Unification
"Will Work Hard on North Korean Defectors' Settlement and North Korean Human Rights Improvement"

Kim Su-gyeong, the newly appointed Vice Minister of Unification, emphasized key tasks such as 'improving North Korean human rights' as her first remarks upon taking office, while also stating her intention to create an organization that rewards performance. This is interpreted as a determination to drive improvements in organizational culture as the reorganized Ministry of Unification settles in.

Kim Soo-kyung, the newly appointed Vice Minister of Unification, is delivering an inaugural speech at the inauguration ceremony held on the 17th at the annex of the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

At the inauguration ceremony held on the 17th at the annex of the Government Seoul Office, Vice Minister Kim Su-gyeong said, "As a member of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, I have deeply felt that the issue of division must be overcome to create a global pivotal country contributing to freedom, peace, and prosperity." She added, "Facing North Korea's increasing provocations and behavior below common sense, I am convinced that unification based on the liberal democratic order of freedom, human rights, and the rule of law is the only path we must take." She continued, "We must face the harsh realities of international politics amid the turbulent Northeast Asian situation and cooperate with allied and friendly countries that share our values," emphasizing, "These contemporary circumstances demand that the Ministry of Unification perform its crucial duties and roles."

Vice Minister Kim highlighted major tasks assigned to the Ministry of Unification, such as 'settlement and support for North Korean defectors' and 'improvement of North Korean human rights.' She said, "I vividly remember the North Korean defectors who attended the first 'North Korean Defectors Day' event on the 14th expressing joy, saying 'We finally have a holiday too,'" emphasizing, "True unification will be possible when our society warmly embraces North Korean defectors and achieves unification where people become one."

She stated, "As Vice Minister of Unification, I will work hard toward the goal of stable settlement for North Korean defectors," and added, "I will also strive to improve North Korean human rights for the North Korean residents who live each day struggling, deprived even of the most basic human rights."

Addressing the staff, she said, "I hope the Ministry of Unification becomes a lively and enjoyable workplace," and "Regardless of entry route or timing, everyone will be treated according to their individual performance." This is interpreted as a commitment to improving organizational culture, including addressing chronic issues such as personnel stagnation.

Kim Soo-kyung, the newly appointed Vice Minister of Unification, is delivering an inaugural speech at the inauguration ceremony held on the 17th at the annex of the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Kim Su-gyeong, the newly appointed Vice Minister of Unification, is noted for her communication skills honed through experience working at the Presidential Office and her excellent policy understanding. Having researched North Korean human rights issues since her academic days, she is regarded as the right person to carry out the new roles assigned to the Ministry of Unification by the Yoon Seok-yeol administration.

Born in 1976, she graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in Linguistics and worked as a reporter for Dong-A Ilbo for four years. She went abroad for further studies and earned a Ph.D. in Sociology from Stanford University in September 2013. She began addressing human rights issues as a research professor at Korea University’s Graduate School of International Studies. During her time as a research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, she participated in writing the North Korean Human Rights White Papers in 2018 and 2020. In March 2021, she was appointed assistant professor in the Department of Social Welfare at Hanshin University. After being selected as the Unification Secretary at the National Security Office in July last year, she was appointed spokesperson for the Presidential Office in December of the same year, and was promoted to Vice Minister of Unification about seven months later.