There Are Three Jiyoung Chois at the Ministry of Strategy and Finance... Also Jaeyoung Choi and Siyoung Choi [Government in]

'Jiyoung Choi's in Charge of External Economic and International Finance Policy
Three Staff Members with the Same Name, from Deputy Minister to Director General and Division Director
Customs and International Tax Officials Have Similar Names

At the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, which was launched on January 2, it has drawn attention that several staff members responsible for international economic policy share the same or similar names: "Jiyoung Choi." There are three staff members named Jiyoung Choi, and if similar names are included, there are more than five. Their positions also vary, ranging from Deputy Minister to Director General and Division Director.

Yonhap News Agency

According to the organizational chart of the Ministry as of January 12, Jiyoung Choi, Deputy Minister for International Economic Affairs, who oversees Korea's external economic and international financial policy, and Jiyoung Choi, Director General for International Finance at the International Finance Bureau, are two different individuals with the same name. Deputy Minister Choi leads the International Finance Bureau, the International Economic Affairs Bureau, and the Development Finance Bureau. Among these, the Director General of the International Finance Bureau also shares the same name. In addition, if you include Jiyoung Choi, Director of the External Economic Affairs Division in the External Economic Affairs Bureau, there are two more staff members with the same name working under Deputy Minister Choi.

Deputy Minister Choi and Director General Choi have similar career backgrounds, both having focused on international affairs. Deputy Minister Choi passed the 37th civil service exam and was appointed as Deputy Minister for International Economic Affairs (Grade 1) in August 2023. For over two years, he has overseen international economic policy. Previously, he served as Director of International Finance, Director of Foreign Exchange Systems, and Director of International Monetary Affairs, eventually becoming Director General of the International Finance Bureau. Director General Choi, who passed the 42nd civil service exam, has also served as Director of International Monetary Affairs, Director of International Economic Affairs, and Director of External Economic Affairs. The difference is that Deputy Minister Choi is male, while Director General Choi is female. Director Choi of the External Economic Affairs Division is also female and passed the 46th civil service exam.

In a phone interview with The Asia Business Daily, Deputy Minister Choi explained, "Because there are staff members with the same name, there have been cases where the HR department gets confused or mail is delivered to the wrong person." He added, "Director General Choi and I have previously worked together in the same bureau as division director and team leader, so there was some confusion," recalling with a laugh, "There was even a time when I received a congratulatory message for a promotion by mistake." He also said, "Since all three of us with the same name work in international affairs, when giving instructions, I sometimes end up saying the name, and it can feel awkward, as if I am calling my own name while giving directions."

Jiyoung Choi, Deputy Minister for International Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Strategy and Finance. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

In the Tax Policy Office, there are two staff members with names similar to Deputy Minister Choi who are responsible for work related to international economics: Jaeyoung Choi, Director General for Customs Policy, and Siyoung Choi, Director of the New International Tax Norms Division. Director General Choi passed the 38th civil service exam and previously served as Director of Land and Transport Budget and Director of Legal Affairs Budget at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the predecessor of the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, before serving as Deputy Head of the Economic Security Supply Planning Team. Director Choi passed the 51st civil service exam and most recently worked as head of the Real Estate Policy Team at the Ministry of Economy and Finance. In addition, although not directly related to international economic policy, Seongyoung Choi, Director of the Corporate Environment Division in the Office for Innovation and Growth, also has a similar name.

Meanwhile, according to Supreme Court statistics, the name "Jiyoung" began to be widely used after the 1970s and was commonly given as a female name through the 1990s.