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Lee names nominees for budget minister, oceans minister

Published: 02 Mar. 2026, 17:44 Updated: 02 Mar. 2026, 18:32

From left: Oceans Minister nominee Hwang Jong-woo; Democratic Party Rep. Park Hong-keun, budget minister nominee; Jung Il-yeon, new chief of the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission; and Song Sang-kyo, new head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, are seen in this composite photo provided by the Blue House on March 2. [YONHAP]

President Lee Jae Myung has nominated a four-term lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party as budget minister and a former senior fisheries official as oceans minister, the Blue House said Monday.

Rep. Park Hong-keun has been tapped to lead the Ministry of Planning and Budget, while Hwang Jong-woo, chair of the Korea Maritime Cooperation Center's international cooperation committee, was named to head the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, presidential secretary for public affairs Lee Kyu-yeon said in a briefing.

The nominations came after Lee withdrew his nomination of Lee Hye-hoon as budget minister in January amid mounting controversy over the former lawmaker's alleged misconduct, including suspicious real estate dealings involving her family.

Cabinet appointments are subject to parliamentary hearings but do not need approval.

If confirmed, Park would become the Lee administration's first budget minister after the ministry's establishment this year under a government reorganization plan.

Park, who has served as the chief of the parliamentary special committee on budget and accounts, is known for his close ties to Lee, having served as the DP's floor leader when Lee was the party's leader.

Meanwhile, Hwang's nomination came after former Oceans Minister Chun Jae-soo resigned late last year amid allegations that he took bribes from the Unification Church.

Lee also named Jung Il-yeon, a former judge, as the chief of the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission and Song Sang-kyo, a former secretary general of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, to lead the commission.

Yonhap