[Profile] "Traditional Bureaucrat" Kim Jonggu Appointed as New Vice Minister of Agriculture, Returns to Public Office Two Months After Retirement

Kim Jonggu, former Director General for Food Policy, was appointed as the new Vice Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on the 28th. A career bureaucrat, Vice Minister Kim returned to public office as Vice Minister just over a month after stepping down from his director general post in October this year.

Vice Minister Kim began his public service career in 1998 after passing the 33rd Technical Examination. He is regarded as a traditional agricultural policy official who has held almost all key positions within the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs for nearly 30 years.

Kim Jonggu, newly appointed Vice Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

He graduated from Daegu Agricultural High School and Yeungnam University with a degree in Applied Microbiology, and completed a master’s program in International Economics at Kyungpook National University. He has served as Director of Regional Development, Secretary to the Minister, Director of Management Personnel, Director of Livestock Management, and Director of Distribution Policy at the Ministry, as well as Spokesperson. He later served as Director General for Food Industry Policy, Director General for Agricultural Life Policy, Director General for Distribution and Consumption Policy, and Director General for Rural Policy, during which he promoted the launch of the online wholesale market for agricultural and marine products and measures to address rural depopulation. Since August last year, he has worked as Director General for Agricultural Innovation Policy and Director General for Food Policy, contributing to the passage of the Grain Management Act and the Act on Distribution and Price Stabilization of Agricultural and Fishery Products.

On this day, Lee Gyuyon, Senior Secretary for Public Relations and Communication at the Presidential Office, said of the new Vice Minister, "Vice Minister Kim is a traditional bureaucrat and a policy expert with extensive field experience and knowledge of the agri-food industry," adding, "He has outstanding ability to coordinate opinions among various stakeholders based on excellent communication skills." He further stated, "We consider him the right person to lead a responsible transformation of agricultural policy, including establishing an income safety net for farmers and expanding K-Food Plus exports."