Change of Health and Welfare Minister Gathers Speed... Normalizing Healthcare a Top Priority
A Proven Mediator for Legislative Conflicts, Recognized for Expertise and Communication
Nam In Soon and Jeon Hyun Hee, Who Contributed to Election Victory, Also Mentioned as Candidates
Jung Eun Kyung, Chief Election Committee Chairwoman of the Democratic Party, is being strongly considered as the next Minister of Health and Welfare, who will be tasked with prioritizing the resolution of legislative conflicts as the Lee Jae Myung administration takes office. Amid urgent calls for normalization of the healthcare system, there are high expectations that her expertise and drive, as well as her ability to restore trust through communication with the medical community, will be invaluable assets.
Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae Myung is greeting citizens together with Representative Choo Mi Ae and Chief Election Committee Chairwoman Jung Eun Kyung (left) at the Starfield Plaza in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province, on the 2nd, one day before the election. Photo by Kim Hyun Min
According to sources in the medical community and the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee on June 5, President Lee is expected to swiftly take control of government ministries by appointing ministers and vice ministers, as he is set to begin his administration without a presidential transition committee.
Within the medical community, Jung Eun Kyung, a physician by training who led South Korea’s COVID-19 response as Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency during the Moon Jae In administration, is emerging as the leading candidate for Minister of Health and Welfare.
Born in Gwangju in 1965, Jung graduated from Seoul National University College of Medicine, as well as the Graduate School of Public Health (master’s) and the Graduate School of Medicine (PhD). She began her public service career in 1995 as a specially appointed researcher at the National Institute of Health. Her previous roles include serving as the inaugural Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Director of the Emergency Medical Services Division at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and Director of both the Disease Prevention Center and Emergency Response Center at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
She entered politics for the first time by joining the Democratic Party’s central election committee during this presidential election. Previously, during last year’s 22nd general election, she was offered a position by the Democratic Party but declined. Jung later stated that after experiencing the state of emergency, she decided to step into the political arena, starting with the Lee Jae Myung campaign, with the goal of preventing a return to power by forces involved in insurrection.
If Jung is appointed as Minister of Health and Welfare, she is expected to steadfastly implement the Lee Jae Myung administration’s healthcare policies, such as strengthening public healthcare and expanding regional and essential medical services. In a radio interview last month, Jung said, “The core of the Democratic Party’s healthcare pledges is to strengthen essential, regional, and public healthcare, and I agree with that direction. Especially as we enter a super-aged society, I believe it is extremely important to reinforce the state’s responsibility for care, increase public support for nursing expenses, and expand home visits and home-based medical care.”
A representative from the medical community commented, “As a physician, Jung has a deep understanding of the realities on the ground, and her past experience collaborating with the medical community as Director of the KDCA means she could play a positive role in resolving legislative conflicts if appointed as Minister of Health and Welfare.”
However, during the presidential campaign, Jung drew a clear line regarding her future plans, stating, “If there is a change in administration, I will return to academia.” Since stepping down as KDCA Director in 2022, she has been serving as a clinical professor at Seoul National University College of Medicine since September of the following year.
Elsewhere, other candidates being discussed for Minister of Health and Welfare include four-term Democratic Party lawmaker Nam In Soon, and three-term lawmakers Park Jumin and Jeon Hyun Hee. Among them, Nam has extensive experience in the Health and Welfare Committee and a deep understanding of the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries, and contributed to the election victory as head of the party’s occupational policy headquarters during the presidential campaign. Jeon Hyun Hee, a dentist and lawyer by training, also played a key role as co-chair of the election committee.
Additionally, there is keen interest in the future roles of Yang Sung Il, former Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, Kang Cheong Hee, Chair of the Special Committee on Health and Medical Care, Kim Yoon (Deputy Head of the Occupational Policy Headquarters), and Shin Hyun Young, spokesperson for the central election committee, all of whom worked on healthcare policy pledges for President Lee’s campaign.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
