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President Lee Jae-myung asks questions to attending heads of government agencies during a ministry briefing held at the Blue House Guesthouse on the 15th. / Yonhap News

President Lee Jae-myung appointed Kim Sung-yeol, Chief of the Industrial Growth Bureau at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, as the new Blue House Secretary for Economic Security. Amid a backlog of pending economic security issues between South Korea and the United States, this appointment is interpreted as placing a working-level expert to manage key agendas, including the top-priority investment project in the United States and the Coupang data breach incident.

According to the Blue House on July 19, the newly appointed Secretary for Economic Security, Kim, attended a meeting presided over by Chief of Staff to the President Kang Hoon-sik on the same day and commenced his official duties.

The position of Blue House Secretary for Economic Security had been vacant for about a month after his predecessor, Secretary Song Ki-ho, was promoted to the Third Deputy Director of the National Security Office.

Born in 1970, Secretary Kim graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in business administration and earned his master's degree from the same university's Graduate School of Business. After entering public service through the civil service examination in 1997, he served as the head of the Industrial Economic Policy Division and the Creative Innovation Director at the Ministry of Knowledge Economy.

He also possesses extensive experience working overseas. Secretary Kim served as a commercial attaché at the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in New York and as a commercial attaché at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the United States. His experience in handling both industrial policy and pending trade issues with the United States is considered his primary strength.

Secretary Kim will henceforth take charge of the economic security sector, including the top-priority investment project in the United States. He is also expected to manage the Coupang data breach incident, an issue where the positions of the South Korean and United States governments diverge, as a major pending agenda item.

As trade and industrial pressure from the United States side intensifies recently, the role of the Blue House economic security line is also growing. This is because issues concerning the implementation of investments in the United States, supply chains, cooperation in advanced industries, and pending digital regulations are all intertwined simultaneously.

Meanwhile, President Lee is reportedly preparing appointments for the vacant positions of Secretary for Digital Communication and Secretary for Land, Infrastructure and Transport, as well as personnel reshuffles for certain other secretaries.

                                                                                                        Park Young-hoon