Self-made man to lead ministry

Kim Doo-kwan, who was appointed minister of government administration and home affairs yesterday, is a self-made man who began his career as magistrate of a small village.
At 37, in 1995, he won the local election to become the youngest-ever chief of Namhae County, South Gyeongsang province. He ran unsuccessfully for governor of South Gyeongsang last year, but yesterday, just eight months after the defeat, he was chosen as the youngest cabinet minister in South Korea’s history.
People around the new minister call him “a little Roh Moo-hyun,” because of their similar backgrounds. Mr. Kim was born in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang province, nearby the village President Roh was born and raised in. Like the president, Mr. Kim’s family was too poor for him to go to school. In 1987, soon after he graduated from university, he began to work as an activist in a farmer’s organization. He worked, along with Jeong Chae-yung, who was named his vice minister, in village-level posts before being elected Namhae County chief.
Officials of the ministry showed mixed reactions to Mr. Kim’s appointment. “I am worried that some of the older chiefs in the ministry may not readily follow the orders of Mr. Kim, who is young and inexperienced in central government,” one official said.
Others were more optimistic. “His career in local government can work in our favor as we continue the trend of decentralizing many government functions,” another official said.

by Lee Key-one