New Minister of Science and ICT Yoo Sang-im, Seoul National University Professor, and Tae Young-ho, Secretary General of the Democratic Peaceful Unification Advisory Council (Comprehensive)

Jung Jin-seok Presidential Office Chief Secretary Briefing

Yoo Sang-im, the new nominee for Minister of Science and ICT, is speaking at a personnel briefing held on the 18th at the Presidential Office building in Yongsan, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 18th, President Yoon Suk-yeol nominated Professor Yu Sang-im of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Seoul National University as the Minister of Science and ICT, and appointed former People Power Party lawmaker Tae Young-ho as the Secretary General of the National Unification Advisory Council. This is the first time a defector from North Korea has been appointed as the Secretary General of the National Unification Advisory Council.

Jung Jin-seok, Chief Secretary of the Presidential Office, announced this during a briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the same day. Chief Secretary Jung introduced Yu by saying, "Candidate Yu is the right person to strongly lead South Korea's science and technology policy during the major transformation of the advanced technology revolution, including innovation in the research and development (R&D) system, based on his long research experience and career in the field of science and technology."

Born in 1959, candidate Yu graduated from the Department of Ceramic Engineering at Seoul National University and earned a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Iowa State University in the United States. He has served as a professor at Seoul National University, president of the Korean Society of Superconductivity and Cryogenics, and president of the Korean Ceramic Society. He is the elder brother of Yu Sang-beom, a People Power Party lawmaker and member of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, and actor Yu Oh-sung.

In response to a reporter's question about the need for communication with the scientific community regarding the R&D budget, candidate Yu said, "R&D requires selection and concentration," adding, "I plan to utilize smooth communication functions to carefully examine what R&D budgets are truly necessary with members of each institution and address their appropriateness."

Professor Yu Sang-im of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Seoul National University, who has been nominated as the new Minister of Science and ICT, is attending the political appointment briefing held on the morning of the 18th at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul, along with Chief Presidential Secretary Jeong Jin-seok and others. [Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon also announced the appointment of three vice-minister-level officials on the same day. Former lawmaker Tae, appointed as Secretary General of the National Unification Advisory Council (vice-minister level), was born in 1962. He is a defector who worked as a diplomat at North Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs before defecting to South Korea. He was elected as a member of the 21st National Assembly and served on the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee. The Presidential Office explained, "Based on the candidate's vivid experience of the realities in North Korea and his expertise from working on the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, he is the right person to support the establishment of peace unification policies based on liberal democracy and to garner domestic and international support."

Kim Seong-seop, Presidential Office Secretary for Small and Medium Venture Businesses, was appointed as Vice Minister of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and Nam Hyung-gi, Director of the National Administration Office at the Office for Government Policy Coordination, was appointed as the Second Vice Minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination. Vice Minister Kim was born in 1970, graduated from the Department of Economics at Seoul National University, and earned a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Illinois. He has served as Secretary for Small and Medium Venture Businesses at the Presidential Office since the launch of the Yoon administration.

Vice Minister Nam was born in 1966, graduated from the Department of Business Administration at Kyung Hee University, and earned a master's degree in Public Administration from Colorado State University. Since the beginning of the Yoon administration, he has served as Director of the National Administration Office at the Office for Government Policy Coordination, coordinating and mediating various policies and conflicts.