President Lee Jae-myung awarded appointment letters to four newly appointed Ministers after the National Assembly's confirmation hearing on the 12th.

President Lee Jae-myung is taking a commemorative photo with the Ministers and their families who received appointment letters at the appointment letter ceremony for the new Ministers held at the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul on the 12th. /Courtesy of Yonhap News Agency

On that day, President Lee awarded appointment letters to Minister Kwon Oh-eul of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, Minister Choi Hwi-young of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Minister Kim Jung-kwan of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and Minister Kim Yoon-deok of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in the Freedom Hall on the second floor of the Office of the President.

Attending the ceremony were Kang Hoon, chief of staff to the President, Wi Seong-rak, chief of the National Security Office, Kim Yong-beom, chief of policy, Woo Sang-ho, senior civil affairs secretary, along with officials from the Office of the President, including Choi Dong-seok, head of the Ministry of Personnel Management. The spouses and families of each minister were also present.

President Lee shook hands with Minister Kwon Oh-eul, saying, 'I look forward to your support,' and handed a bouquet to Minister Kwon's spouse. He also greeted Minister Kwon's grandchild, showing a smile and saying, 'You seem a bit shy.'

He also offered congratulatory remarks, such as 'I look forward to your support,' to Ministers Choi Hwi-young, Kim Jung-kwan, and Kim Yoon-deok.

After the ceremony for the appointment letters and a commemorative photo, President Lee chatted with the four ministers and their families while taking a group photo.

Meanwhile, President Lee has completed appointments for 17 out of a total of 19 ministries. The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family are currently searching for suitable candidates after the drop of nominees during the confirmation hearing process. Among the candidates for Minister of Education are former Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kang Min-jeong, former Vice Minister Park Baek-beom, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Baek Seung-ah, and Catholic University professor Sung Gi-seon. Possible candidates for Minister of Gender Equality and Family include former Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kwon In-sook, former Supreme Commissioner Seo Eun-suk, lawmaker Nam In-soon, and lawmaker Kim Han-kyu.

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