Park Hong-geun, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker nominated as the first Minister of the Ministry of Planning and Budget in the Lee Jae-myung administration, is a four-term senior lawmaker who has served as chairperson of the National Assembly Special Committee on Budget and Accounts and the Operations Committee.
In particular, on the Presidential Committee on Policy Planning, which served as the transition team for the Lee Jae-myung administration, Park served as head of the planning subcommittee and played a key role in splitting the Ministry of Economy and Finance into the Ministry of Planning and Budget and the Ministry of Finance and Economy.
Born in 1969 in Goheung, South Jeolla, Park graduated from Suncheon Hyochun High School, then earned a bachelor's in Korean literature and a master's in public administration at Kyunghee University. While studying in the Korean literature department, Park served as student body president and later worked mainly in civil society.
Park entered the National Assembly by winning the Jungnang-gu B district in Seoul in the 19th general election in 2012. Park went on to win four consecutive terms in the same district through the 20th, 21st and 22nd terms. In standing committees, Park served as chairperson of the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts and the Operations Committee, and is currently serving as a member of the National Assembly Fiscal Planning Committee. In 2022, Park was elected the Democratic Party floor leader and coordinated the party's policy direction and the National Assembly's operations.
Lee Gyu-yeon, senior presidential secretary for public affairs and communications, said of Park, "A four-term lawmaker who has mainly served as chairperson of the National Assembly's Special Committee on Budget and Accounts and the Operations Committee, and an expert in national budget policy," adding, "As head of the planning subcommittee of the Presidential Committee on Policy Planning, Park is the right person to lead the government budget that has drawn the government's blueprint and the people's sovereignty."
Soon after being nominated as Minister of the Ministry of Planning and Budget, Park posted on Facebook, saying, "It is a great honor, but I feel a heavy sense of responsibility."
Park said, "The Ministry of Planning and Budget is an organization whose functions and status I directly designed at the Presidential Committee on Policy Planning, so I know its importance better than anyone," adding, "With firm resolve, I will serve as the gear and lubricant that strongly support Korea's great leap forward and the success of the Lee Jae-myung administration."