Presidential Office Announces Appointments on the 29th
Bong Wook, Former Prosecutor, Returns as Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs
Gu Yooncheol, Professor, Nominated as Finance Minister
Lawmakers Jung Sungho for Justice, Yoon Hojung for Interior and Safety
Kim Jungkwan, Doosan Enerbility President, Nominated as Industry Minister
Kang Hoonshik, Chief of Staff to the President (center), is announcing the additional appointment of senior secretaries for President Lee Jae-myung on the 29th at the Presidential Office building in Yongsan, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News
President Lee Jae-myung has completed the appointment of senior secretaries by naming new chiefs for the previously vacant Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs and Senior Secretary for Public Engagement and Integration. Bong Wook, a former prosecutor, was chosen as the new Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs, and Jeon Seonghwan was named as the new Senior Secretary for Public Engagement and Integration.
Alongside these appointments, President Lee also nominated candidates for six ministerial posts and announced new appointments for the Presidential Committee for Regional Era, as well as the First and Second Deputy Directors of the National Intelligence Service. For the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, the nominee is Gu Yooncheol, a special professor at Seoul National University. For the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Kim Jungkwan, president of Doosan Enerbility and a former government official turned business leader, was nominated.
On the 29th, Kang Hoonshik, Chief of Staff to the President, held a briefing at the Presidential Office in Yongsan to announce these appointments. Bong Wook, an attorney at Kim & Chang and a former prosecutor, was appointed as Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs. Bong previously served as Director-General for Human Rights at the Ministry of Justice and as Deputy Prosecutor General at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office. This marks the second consecutive appointment of a former prosecutor to the post, following the failed nomination of Oh Gwangsu.
Kang Hoonshik stated, "The new Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs is known for his humility and gentle character, earning deep trust both inside and outside the prosecution, and is highly regarded for his policy planning capabilities," adding, "We expect him to demonstrate strong leadership on key tasks such as prosecution reform." Regarding Jeon Seonghwan, the new Senior Secretary for Public Engagement and Integration, Kang explained, "He has played various roles, including civic activist, head of public institutions, and local government official, consistently reflecting the voices of marginalized communities in policy."
Gu Yooncheol nominated for Finance Minister... Politicians such as Jung Sungho for Justice and Yoon Hojung for Interior and Safety
Ministerial candidates announced by the Presidential Office on the 29th. From the top left, Gu Yooncheol, candidate for Minister of Strategy and Finance; Lee Jinsook, candidate for Minister of Education; Jung Sungho, candidate for Minister of Justice; from the bottom left, Yoon Hojung, candidate for Minister of the Interior and Safety; Kim Jungkwan, candidate for Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy; Jung Eungyung, candidate for Minister of Health and Welfare. Yonhap News
The appointments announced on this day also included six ministerial candidates. President Lee nominated Gu Yooncheol, a special professor in the Department of Economics at Seoul National University, as the candidate to head the economic team as Minister of Strategy and Finance. Gu is known as an expert in budgeting, having served as Director-General for Budget, Second Vice Minister, and Secretary-General for Government Policy Coordination. Kang Hoonshik commented, "As evident from his publications, he is someone who has deeply considered Korea’s innovation," and added, "With his high level of expertise in national finance and policy overall, he is the right person to chart a path for Korea’s growth."
For the Ministry of Justice, which will handle tasks such as prosecution reform, Jung Sungho, a five-term lawmaker from the Democratic Party, was nominated. Jung is a classmate of President Lee from the 18th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute, and they have shared political and legal ties for nearly 40 years. In the National Assembly, Jung has served as chair of the Special Committee on Judicial Reform, the Special Committee on Criminal Justice Reform, and the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts.
A ruling party lawmaker was also nominated for Minister of the Interior and Safety. Kang Hoonshik 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 foster a collaborative system between central and local governments through broad communication."
Kim Jungkwan, president of Doosan Enerbility, was nominated for Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy. Kim previously served as Director-General for Policy Planning at the Ministry of Strategy and Finance and has experience working at the Bank of Korea. Kang Hoonshik stated, "As a key talent who has experienced both economic policy and the real economy, he will embody the president’s philosophy that now is the time to focus on growth."
Jung Eungyung, former Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, was chosen as the candidate for Minister of Health and Welfare. Jung, a medical doctor, led the country’s COVID-19 response. Although there were reports that she was effectively excluded from consideration due to suspicions about her spouse’s stock investments related to COVID-19, the Presidential Office appears to believe these issues can be sufficiently addressed during the confirmation hearing.
Lee Jinsook, former president of Chungnam National University, was nominated 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, chaired the committee for President Lee’s pledge to "create 10 Seoul National Universities."
Kim Kyungsoo, who competed with Lee in the presidential primary, appointed as ministerial-level chief of the Presidential Committee for Regional Era
Kim Kyungsoo, former governor of South Gyeongsang Province, was appointed as chief of the Presidential Committee for Regional Era. Kang Hoonshik commented, "Kim has consistently emphasized the importance of balanced development and local autonomy," and added, "Based on his experience as governor and lawmaker, he is the right person to quickly realize the president’s balanced development strategy and decentralization pledges."
Kim participated in the Democratic Party’s presidential primary during the last election, competing against President Lee. In January, he called on then-party leader Lee to apologize, stating, "Many people felt humiliated and distanced themselves from the party or left altogether during the local and general elections held after the 2022 presidential election."
Meanwhile, Lee Dongsoo, former head of the NIS Foreign Intelligence Bureau, was appointed as First Deputy Director of the National Intelligence Service, and Kim Ho-hong, former head of the NIS North Korea Strategy Bureau, was named Second Deputy Director. Kim Heesoo, a former auditor for Gyeonggi Province, was appointed as Director of Planning and Coordination at the NIS.
Oh Youkyung, the current head of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, will remain in her position, which is at the vice-ministerial level.
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