Presidential Office Announces Appointments on the 29th
Koo Yooncheol, Professor, Nominated as Minister of Economy and Finance
Jung Sungho, Lawmaker, Nominated as Minister of Justice
Jeong Eunkyung, Former Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Nominated as Minister of Health and Welfare
Yoon Hojung, Lawmaker, Nominated as Minister of the Interior and Safety
Kim Jungkwan, President of Doosan Enerbility, Nominated as Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy
Lee Jinsook, Former President of Chungnam National University, Nominated as Minister of Education
President Lee Jaemyung appointed six ministerial candidates on the 29th.
On this day, Kang Hunsik, Chief of Staff to the President, held a briefing at the Presidential Office in Yongsan and announced the nominations of Koo Yooncheol as Minister of Economy and Finance, Lee Jinsook as Minister of Education, Jung Sungho as Minister of Justice, Yoon Hojung as Minister of the Interior and Safety, Kim Jungkwan as Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, and Jeong Eunkyung as Minister of Health and Welfare.
Koo Yooncheol, a distinguished professor at the Department of Economics at Seoul National University, was nominated as the candidate for Minister of Economy and Finance, who will lead the economic team. Koo is recognized as an expert in budgeting, having served as Director-General of Budget at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Second Vice Minister, and Minister for Government Policy Coordination. Chief of Staff Kang evaluated him as "someone who has deeply considered innovation in Korea, as shown in his publications," and said, "He is the right person to find the path for Korea's growth, based on his high level of expertise not only in national finance but also in overall policy."
Kang Hunsik, Chief of Staff to the President, is announcing additional ministerial appointments on the 29th at the Presidential Office building in Yongsan, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News
For the post of Minister of Justice, who will be responsible for tasks such as prosecutorial reform, five-term senior lawmaker Jung Sungho of the Democratic Party was selected. Jung has maintained a political and legal connection with President Lee for nearly 40 years, as they were classmates at the Judicial Research and Training Institute (18th class). In the National Assembly, he served as Chairman of the Special Committee on Judicial Reform, Chairman of the Special Committee on Criminal Justice System Reform, and Chairman of the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts.
A ruling party lawmaker was also appointed as the candidate for Minister of the Interior and Safety. Chief of Staff Kang explained, "Yoon Hojung is a policy expert who believes that the happiness of the people is the measure of democracy," and added, "He will transform the conservative bureaucratic system into a value-oriented and practical one, and will establish a system in which the central and local governments cooperate through broad communication."
Kim Jungkwan, President of Doosan Enerbility, was nominated as the candidate for Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy. Kim previously served as Director of Policy Planning at the Ministry of Economy and Finance and has experience working at the Bank of Korea. Chief of Staff Kang stated, "As a key talent who has both the capabilities of an economic bureaucrat and real-world economic experience, he will embody the President's philosophy that now is the time to focus on growth."
Jeong Eunkyung, former Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, was selected as the candidate for Minister of Health and Welfare. Jeong, a medical doctor by training, led the country's response to COVID-19. Although there were reports that she was effectively excluded from the pool of candidates due to suspicions about her spouse's stock investments related to COVID-19, the Presidential Office appears to have determined that this can be sufficiently explained during the confirmation hearing process.
Lee Jinsook, former President of Chungnam National University, was appointed as the candidate for Minister of Education. Lee was the first female president of her alma mater, Chungnam National University. She has served as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology, and during the last presidential election, she chaired the committee for President Lee's campaign pledge to "create 10 Seoul National Universities."
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