President Lee Jaemyung has approved the appointment of Hoon Baeghak as Minister of Science and ICT. This marks the first appointment among the 19 ministerial nominees designated by the new administration.
Science and ICT Minister nominee Hoon Baeghak answers questions from lawmakers at the personnel hearing held at the National Assembly Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee plenary meeting on July 14, 2025. Photo by Hyunmin Kim
On the 16th, the presidential office announced, "On the 15th, President Lee approved the personnel hearing report for Minister Bae, which was adopted by the National Assembly." President Lee had nominated Bae as the new minister on June 22.
The previous day (the 15th), the National Assembly Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee adopted the hearing report for nominee Bae by bipartisan agreement at its plenary meeting.
The newly appointed Minister Bae is a private-sector expert who has worked in the AI field, including leading the development and advancement of LG’s large-scale AI model 'EXAONE'.
At the nomination announcement on June 22, Kang Hunsik, Chief Presidential Secretary, said of Minister Bae, "He is an AI scholar and entrepreneur, and we have made great efforts to recruit him to achieve the goal of making Korea one of the world’s top three AI powerhouses." He added, "Together with Ha Jungwoo, the Presidential Secretary for AI Future Planning, we expect him to enhance the nation’s competitiveness in the AI sector."
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