Yoo Hyemi Appointed as Inaugural Low Birthrate Secretary at the Presidential Office
"Sympathizing with Difficult Issues and Expecting Structural Solutions"
President Yoon Suk-yeol is presenting a letter of appointment to Yoo Hye-mi, Chief of Low Birthrate Response at the Presidential Office, during the appointment ceremony held on the 2nd at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]
"Solving our country's low birthrate problem would be like winning the Fields Medal in mathematics. It will be more difficult than proving Fermat's Last Theorem, but please do your best."
This was the special mission given by President Yoon Seok-yeol to Yoo Hye-mi, the inaugural Chief Secretary for Low Birthrate Response at the Presidential Office (Professor at Hanyang University College of Economics and Finance). It is reported that President Yoon, during their first meeting after appointing Chief Secretary Yoo, actively empathized with the difficulties of addressing the low birthrate issue and asked her to do her best to solve this challenging problem.
After instructing the establishment of the Low Birthrate Chief Secretary Office in May to handle low birthrate response measures, President Yoon showed particular interest by setting the top priority for appointments as 'working moms in their 40s balancing work and childcare.' He welcomed Chief Secretary Yoo’s appointment, who met this condition, and used 'mathematical terms' as an example. The Fields Medal is regarded as the most prestigious award in mathematics, and Fermat's Last Theorem was one of the greatest challenges in mathematics, with its proof only achieved in 1995, 358 years after Fermat recorded his conjecture.
In particular, President Yoon mentioned to Chief Secretary Yoo that the low birthrate problem is intertwined with various social factors, making it difficult to achieve results in a short period. He reportedly urged her to work hard to rebound the total fertility rate and respond to changes in the population structure.
Currently, the Presidential Office operates with a structure of 3 directors and 8 chief secretaries. Born in 1977, Chief Secretary Yoo is the only woman and the youngest chief secretary. As a working mom raising elementary school-aged twin siblings and personally experiencing the difficulties of childcare, the Presidential Office expects her to propose practical solutions to resolve the low birthrate issue.
Supporting Chief Secretary Yoo in operating the Low Birthrate Chief Secretary Office, Choi Han-kyung, former official from the Ministry of Economy and Finance and Secretary-General of the Low Fertility and Aging Society Commission, was appointed as Population Planning Secretary, and Choi Jong-gyun, former Director of Population Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare and Deputy Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, was appointed as Low Birthrate Response Secretary. Initially, the Presidential Office planned to have three secretaries under the chief secretary, but it was decided to operate with two secretaries for the time being. Min In-young, an administrative officer dispatched from the Financial Services Commission and also a working mom in her 40s with elementary school children, is the only female among the chief secretaries’ aides.
Currently, the Low Birthrate Chief Secretary Office is staffed by five administrative officers seconded from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Employment and Labor, and Ministry of Economy and Finance, who are busy preparing for President Yoon’s second national briefing scheduled for the end of August. Chief Secretary Yoo emphasized, "Going forward, low birthrate policies will focus more on solving structural problems rather than cash support," and added, "We also plan to diligently lay the groundwork for launching the Population Strategy Planning Department."
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