Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik announces the new Cabinet nominees and appointments to key presidential posts during a briefing at the Blue House on Aug. 30.NEWS1
President Lee Jae Myung has named the nominees to head six ministries and key presidential posts.
The reshuffle focuses on securing new growth engines to stabilize people’s livelihoods, fostering innovation in future industries and reorganizing the criminal justice system.
Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik announced the new Cabinet and presidential post candidates during a briefing at the Blue House on Sunday.
Lee Hyoung-il, the current first vice minister of finance and economy, was nominated as deputy prime minister and minister of finance, a post that puts him in charge of the government’s economic policy.
He is a veteran policymaker whose ability has been demonstrated through measures such as the maximum price system for petroleum products. He was described as well-suited to ensure that improvements in economic indicators translate into meaningful changes in people’s quality of life.
The administration also reshuffled its national security and justice teams.
Kang Shin-chul, a retired four-star general and former deputy commander of the Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command who currently serves as Korea’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, was nominated as minister of national defense. Democratic Party (DP) lawmaker Kim Seung-won, a former judge, was nominated as minister of justice.
The president also named nominees to several ministries closely tied to people’s livelihoods.
Clockwise from top left: Lee Hyoung-il, the minister of finance and economy nominee; Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Seung-won, the minister of justice nominee; Kang Shin-chul, the minister of national defense nominee; Lee So-young, the minister of SMEs and startups nominee; Hong Jee-sun, the minister of land, infrastructure and transport nominee; and Yong Hye-in, the minister of gender equality and family nomineeBLUE HOUSE
Hong Jee-sun, the current second vice minister of land, infrastructure and transport, was nominated as minister of land. DP lawmaker Lee So-young was nominated as minister of SMEs and startups. Yong Hye-in, the leader of the Basic Income Party, was nominated as minister of gender equality and family.
Posts overseeing future industries and presidential affairs were also changed.
Rebuilding Korea Party lawmaker Lee Hai-min, a former Google engineer, was tapped as the first senior presidential secretary for AI and future planning, a newly created position. Ha Jung-woo, the former senior presidential secretary for AI and future planning, was named vice chair of the Presidential Council on National Artificial Intelligence Strategy.
Lee Won-ju, the deputy minister of the Energy Transition Policy Office at the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, was tapped as presidential adviser for megaprojects, a tentatively named position.
Kim Kyoung-soo, the former chair of the Presidential Committee for Decentralization and Balanced Development, was appointed special presidential adviser for political affairs.
“This is a measure aimed at leading the sweeping transformation across society that Korea needs,” presidential chief of staff Kang said. “We will produce tangible results that people can feel, based on dynamism and expertise.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
