Han Ki-jeong nominated as Yoon's next pick for Fair Trade Commission chairman

Han Ki-jeong, Seoul National University law professor, is nominated as the Fair Trade Commission chairman. [OFFICE OF THE 20TH PRESIDENT]

Seoul National University (SNU) law professor Han Ki-jeong was nominated to become the first Fair Trade Commission (FTC) chairman of the Yoon Suk-yeol government.

If his nomination is approved, Han will become the first head of the country’s antitrust agency with a law degree since the Lee Myung-bak administration.

In the last two administrations of Park Geun-hye and Moon Jae-in, the heads of the FTC were specialized in economic affairs.

Professor Han specializes in commercial law, especially insurance.

According to the presidential office on Thursday, Han was picked for being a legal scholar that respects the market economy and because of his expertise in administrative work, having had experience working as the president of the Korea Insurance Research Institute while serving in numerous government committees including the Financial Services Commission and at the Justice Ministry.

"[Han] is the perfect person to realize key the FTC’s national policies under the Yoon Suk-yeol government," the president’s office stated, including reviving the market economy through fair competition and improvements in the legal execution of fair transactions.

Most of Han’s career involved researching and writing articles on insurance consumer protections and fair competition.

The professor, who graduated from the SNU School of Law in 1986, got his doctorate in insurance law at Cambridge.

Han is Yoon’s second pick for the post after his first choice, another SNU law professor Song Ok-rial, withdrew himself from the running a week after being nominated last month, due to a controversial comment he made years ago about ranking students by their attractiveness.

Han has no direct connection with the president unlike Yoon's first pick Song, who was a former colleague that attended the Judicial Research & Training Institute between 1992 and 1994 with the president.

Han's link to the Yoon administration is that he went to SNU with the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong and the president’s chief economic advisor Choi Sang-mok.

Han attended SNU’s graduate school of public administration two years later than Choi.

Han is likely to have a hearing during which he will be questioned by lawmakers particularly of the Democratic Party (DP), which holds the majority of seats.

Some cabinet members that were appointed by President Yoon without going through the hearings are considered to have played a key role in lowering the president’s popularity polls.

While the final appointment on cabinet members, except for the prime minister, doesn't need the approval of the National Assembly, those that were previous assigned without the greenlight of the legislators have faced fierce backlash, including the recently resigned Education Minister Park Soon-ae, a public policy professor.

The DP, though actively attacking Yoon’s pick of the country’s top prosecutor, who was also nominated on Thursday, has given no comment on the FTC nominee.

Han could also be attacked for being yet another male SNU alumni aged in his 50s or 60s, which makes up for most of Yoon's aides and cabinet members.

Even though more than three months have passed, several cabinet seats remain empty, including those for the health minister and the recently vacated spot of education minister.

Including Han, among some 20 or so ministers that are either serving or who have been nominated, only three — the gender equality minister, the environment minister and the SMEs and startup minister — are women.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]