Yoon replaces 6 Cabinet ministers

Dec 05, 2023, 09:26 am

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Yoon Suk-yeol carries out a Cabinet reshuffle Monday, replacing 6 ministers. The image shows (From top L, clockwise) finance minister nominee Choi Sang-mok; veterans minister Kang Jung-ai; agriculture minister nominee Song Mi-ryung; SMEs minister nominee Oh Young-ju; oceans minister nominee Kang Do-hyung; and land minister nominee Park Sang-woo./ Source: Presidential Office

AsiaToday reporter Hong Sun-mi

President Yoon Suk-yeol carried out a major Cabinet reshuffle Monday, replacing six ministers including the finance and land ministers.

Yoon nominated Choi Sang-mok, former senior presidential secretary for economic affairs, as the new finance minister and deputy prime minister. Park Sang-woo, former chief of state-run housing developer Korea Land & Housing Corp. (LH), was named new land minister, while Kang Do-hyung, president of the Korea Institute of Oceans Science and Technology, was tapped as the oceans minister.

Kang Jung-ai, former president of Sookmyung Women’s University, was tapped for the minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, while Song Mi-ryung, former senior researcher at the Korea Rural Economic Institute, was tapped for agriculture minister. Second Vice Foreign Minister Oh Young-ju was nominated SMEs minister.

The latest reshuffle focuses on appointing female talents and bureaucratic policy experts in the cabinet, hinting intense public welfare policy drive to strengthen the Cabinet’s capabilities amid deepening global economic instability.

Finance Minister nominee Choi Sang-mok graduated from Seoul National University’s law school and received master’s and doctorate degrees in economics from Cornell University in the U.S. Choi, who entered public office with the 29th public administration examination, is considered the most bright expert in the current government’s economic policy, as he was an authoritative economic bureaucrat who served as the presidential office’s economic and financial secretary and the first vice minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

Park Sang-woo, the nominee for the new land minister, majored in public administration at Korea University and earned his doctorate degree in urban development at Gachon University. He was named LH’s CEO in 2016 during the Park Geun-hye administration and is credited with successfully improving LH’s poor financial structure during his term and effectively tackling housing welfare policy tasks.

Agriculture Minister nominee Song Mi-ryung earned her bachelor’s degree in urban planning at Ewha Womans University and a doctorate in public administration at Seoul National University. She is considered an expert in the field of rural population decline.

Kang Jung-ai, the nominee for the new veterans minister, majored in business at Sookmyung Women’s University and earned a doctorate degree in human resources economics from the Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne University. She is known for her background as the daughter of a decorated veteran of the Korean War.

SMEs and Startups Minister nominee Oh Young-ju is a career diplomat who has been serving as the second vice foreign minister in charge of economic diplomacy under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. She is considered to have expertise in the overseas expansion of SMEs and startups based on experience related to foreign policies aimed at fostering the economy.

Kang Do-hyung, the nominee for the new oceans minister, earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in marine biology at Jeju National University. He has specialized in marine biology and served as the chief of the Jeju Research Institute.

Meanwhile, Yoon is expected to announce additional appointments for the Trade, Industry and Energy Minister, the Korea Communications Commission chairman, and the Financial Services Commission chairman as early as this week.

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