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President Lee Jae-myung is expected to swiftly move forward with cabinet appointments upon his return from the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Canada on June 18. While vice ministerial posts are already being filled, the formal appointment of ministers is anticipated to begin in earnest later this month, following the confirmation of the new prime minister.

According to political sources on June 17, the presidential office has started reviewing submissions from the “Find the Real Workers” initiative—a key public engagement program under the Lee administration that invites citizens to recommend high-level government officials. The campaign, which ran for a week from June 10 to 16, collected more than 74,000 recommendations. The president’s office said it would prioritize the rationale behind each recommendation over the number of submissions.

President Lee is reportedly focusing on appointing vice ministers who can assume roles without going through parliamentary confirmation hearings. Some of these appointments are expected to come directly from the public recommendation system. Meanwhile, ministerial appointments are expected to be delayed slightly, as the process requires the prime minister’s formal nomination—a procedure that is still underway.

On June 10, Lee appointed Lee Hyung-il, commissioner of Statistics Korea, as the 1st Vice Minister of Economy and Finance, and Im Gi-geun, head of the Public Procurement Service, as the 2nd Vice Minister. Other key appointments included Park Yoon-joo, ambassador to ASEAN, as 1st Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs; Kim Jin-a, professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, as 2nd Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Moon Shin-hak, presidential spokesperson, as 1st Vice Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy.

Although ministerial appointments have been slower than expected, several names are circulating—many of them lawmakers, professors, and long-time allies of President Lee.

For Minister of Economy and Finance, potential candidates include Koo Yoon-cheol (former minister for government policy coordination), Lee Ho-seung (former presidential policy chief), Lee Eog-weon (former vice finance minister), and Democratic Party lawmakers Jung Sung-ho, Yoon Ho-jung, and Kim Tae-nyeon.

For Education Minister, candidates being discussed include Park Baek-beom (former vice minister of education), Cha Jung-in (former president of Pusan National University), Chung-Ang University professor Kim Nu-ri, and lawmaker Kim Young-ho.

Cho Hyun, former ambassador to the UN, is considered a leading candidate for Foreign Minister, while five-term Democratic lawmaker Chung Dong-young is reportedly a strong contender for Minister of Unification.

Other names under discussion include lawmakers Ahn Gyu-baek and Kim Byung-joo, former Vice Defense Minister Park Jae-min, and former Defense Ministry planning director Kim Jeong-seop for Defense Minister. Former Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency head Jung Eun-kyeong is being mentioned for Health and Welfare Minister; Democratic lawmaker Kim Sung-hwan for Environment Minister; and art historian and former Cultural Heritage Administration head Yoo Hong-jun for Culture Minister.

The presidential office is also finalizing appointments for key secretarial posts. These include the replacement of former civil affairs chief Oh Kwang-soo, who resigned over a real estate scandal, and the appointment of a new senior secretary for civic integration, formerly known as the senior secretary for civil society. “The civil affairs post is still under review,” a presidential official said. “It is being handled by the Office for Balanced Personnel Affairs.”