Yoon appoints women, seasoned professionals in latest Cabinet reshuffle

Politics

Published: 04 Dec. 2023, 18:45

Yoon appoints women, seasoned professionals in latest Cabinet reshuffle

Presidential chief of staff Kim Dae-ki, left, announces a Cabinet reshuffle in a press briefing at the Yongsan presidential office in central Seoul on Monday, while the six new minister candidates, standing to the right, listen. [NEWS1]

Choi Sang-mok, former senior presidential secretary for economic affairs, was tapped as the new finance minister Monday amid a major Cabinet reshuffle in the Yoon Suk Yeol administration.

President Yoon Suk Yeol also replaced five other ministers to head the land, veterans, SMEs, agriculture and oceans ministries, fulfilling expectations that current Cabinet members hoping to participate in next year's general elections would be replaced.

Choi, former senior presidential secretary for economic affairs and former first vice finance minister, was tapped to succeed Minister of Economy and Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho, presidential chief of staff Kim Dae-ki announced in a press briefing at the Yongsan presidential office. The finance minister doubles as deputy prime minister for economic affairs.

Describing Choi as "a traditional economic bureaucrat," Kim said the finance minister nominee is known as "a top expert in the field of economic policy with extensive knowledge and insight into the overall economy, including macroeconomy."

Choi will be tasked with "taking care of immediate economic and livelihood issues such as prices and employment" and "improving the fundamental structure of our economy," added Kim.

"I feel a sense of responsibility being nominated as finance minister in a situation where domestic and foreign economic conditions are unfavorable," Choi told reporters afterward. "The task entrusted to me is heavy, and there is a long way to go."

Choi graduated from Seoul National University's College of Law and passed the civil service exam in 1985. He later received a doctorate in economics from Cornell University.

As a technocrat, he has served in various posts in the Finance Ministry and the Park Geun-hye Blue House. Choi served as president of the Agricultural Cooperative University from 2020 until he joined Yoon's transition team in March 2022 and became a senior presidential secretary in May of that year.

Choi is expected to lead the Yoon administration's second economic team, generally comprised of bureaucrats and experts, which appears to be sending a message to strengthen the internal organization amid the economic downturn rather than aggressively pushing for new policies.

From left, Choi Sang-mok, Kang Jung-ai, Song Mi-ryung, Park Sang-woo, Kang Do-hyung and Oh Young-ju [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Kang Jung-ai, former president of Sookmyung Women's University, was tapped to replace Patriots and Veterans Affairs Minister Park Min-shik.

Kang, the daughter of a medaled 1950-53 Korean War veteran, is a renowned scholar with "a special interest and insight into veterans policy," Kim said.

She previously served as a member of the presidential Regulatory Reform Committee and the National Economic Advisory Council under the conservative Lee Myung-bak administration. She is an economics expert who majored in business at Sookmyung Women's University and earned a doctoral degree in human resources economics from the Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne University.

Kwon Jun, her grandfather-in-law, was also a renowned independence fighter during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea and a member of the activist group Heroic Corps.

Park Sang-woo, former CEO of the state-run land developer Korea Land & Housing Corp. (LH), was named to replace Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong.

A former career bureaucrat, Park served in several positions in the Land Ministry, including its planning and coordination office, before becoming CEO of the LH in 2016 during the Park Geun-hye administration.

Second Vice Foreign Minister Oh Young-ju was named the new minister of SMEs and startups to replace Lee Young.

Oh, a career diplomat, previously served as Korean ambassador to Vietnam and a deputy permanent representative to the United Nations before being appointed vice foreign minister in July.

Song Mi-ryung, a senior researcher at the Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI), who previously served as a vice president of the state-run think tank, was named minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs to replace Chung Hwang-keun.

She received her bachelor's degree in urban planning and a doctorate in public administration at Seoul National University and joined the KREI, responsible for producing agricultural and rural policy, in 1997.

Marine biologist Kang Do-hyung, president of the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, was tapped as the new oceans and fisheries minister to replace Cho Seung-hwan.

A native of Jeju, Kang earned his master's and doctoral degrees in marine biology at Jeju National University and previously headed the Jeju Research Institute.

Chief of staff Kim introduced the six ministers after the press briefing at the Yongsan presidential office.

The minister nominees are subject to undergo National Assembly hearings, though the president doesn't need parliamentary approval to appoint them.

The latest Cabinet shakeup comes as Yoon prepares to enter his third year in office, pursuing his agenda and key reforms amid economic difficulties and a general election approaching.

The new lineup appears to have considered criticism of the administration's hitherto tendency to appoint middle-aged male graduates of Seoul National University, the president's alma mater.

Most candidates this time around are seasoned bureaucrats or experts in their fields.

Half of Yoon's appointments on Monday were also women, seemingly a response to the paucity of female representation in the president's Cabinet. Song will become Korea's first female agriculture minister if she takes office.

Oh's appointment to head the SMEs Ministry appears aimed at tapping into her diplomatic prowess, considering Korea's global expansion.

"Based on her many years of experience and know-how in the field of economic diplomacy, we expect her to lead in the development of new markets and globalization of our small- and medium-sized companies," Kim said in the briefing.

Yoon had been expected to replace around 10 out of 19 Cabinet members this week, with several ministers, including Choo and Won, expected to compete in next April's parliamentary elections.

Despite expectations that the justice or foreign affairs ministers could be replaced, they were not included in this batch of announcements. However, further appointments could come later on.

Political observers speculated that Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon, a former prosecutor and Yoon's close confidant, could run for a parliamentary seat next April.

According to reports, Foreign Minister Park Jin, who took the lead in the diplomatic campaign for Busan's failed World Expo 2030 bid, may also be replaced.

Last Friday, Yoon accepted the resignation of Lee Dong-kwan, the head of the Korea Communication Commission (KCC), meaning he will also have to name a new KCC chief.

Lee offered his resignation as the liberal Democratic Party-controlled National Assembly moved to impeach him.

On Sunday, Yoon appointed Kim Soo-kyung, presidential secretary for unification affairs and a former journalist, as his new spokesperson.

She succeeded Lee Do-woon, who was recently promoted to replace Kim Eun-hye as senior presidential secretary for public relations.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]