President Yoon Suk Yeol appointed former chief economic advisor Choi Sang-mok to head the Ministry of Economy and Finance on Dec. 4. He replaced six ministers in a Cabinet shake-up ahead of next year's parliamentary elections.
"As a well-established economic bureaucrat, Choi Sang-mok is an expert in economic policy with deep knowledge and insight into the economy," said presidential chief of staff Kim Dae-ki.
Kang Jung-ai, former president of Sookmyung Women's University, was nominated as the new minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. Song Mi-ryung, a senior researcher at the Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI), was named minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural affairs.
President Yoon tapped Park Sang-woo, former CEO of the state-run land developer Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH) as the new Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
Kang Do-hyung, president of the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, will head the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. Second Vice Foreign Minister Oh Young-joo was named to be the next minister of SMEs and Startups.
The latest Cabinet reshuffle centered on replacing politicians who are expected to run for parliament in next year's general elections with seasoned bureaucrats and experts in academia. Of the six nominees announced yesterday, three were women, a decision that seems to reflect President Yoon's new stance to "include more female talent in the Cabinet."
President Yoon will also reportedly make additional appointments to the Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Intelligence Service, Korea Communications Commission, and the Financial Services Commission.
"There are many last-minute variables to consider before announcing three or four additional ministerial-level appointments," said a government official.
There is speculation that Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon could be included in the "one-point reshuffle" that is expected to take place at the end of the year or the beginning of 2024. The ministers of both the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of Environment are to keep their places.
This article was originally published on Dec. 5, 2023.