President Lee Jae-myung on the 15th appointed Hyun Soo-yeop, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, as first Vice Minister of the ministry. He also appointed Lee Jong-uk, Vice Administrator of the Korea Customs Service, as Commissioner of the agency, and Moon Sung-yo, former Deputy Minister for Planning and Coordination at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), as Administrator of the Saemangeum Development and Investment Agency.
Lee Kyu-yeon, senior presidential secretary for public relations and communication, said that day that President Lee commissioned and appointed three vice-ministerial political appointees and three members of government committees.
Hyun Soo-yeop, the new first vice minister, has served in key posts including Director General for Population and Child Policy at the ministry, Director of Childcare Policy, and Director of Emergency Medical Services. Lee, the senior secretary, said, "As a 'working mom' raising four children, she made significant contributions to improving the treatment of childcare teachers and introducing the extended childcare system at daycare centers," adding, "She will be the person responsible for building a social safety net that encompasses health and welfare."
Lee Jong-uk, the new Commissioner of the Korea Customs Service, has served as Director General of Investigation, Director General for Planning and Coordination, Director General of Clearance, and Vice Administrator. Moon Sung-yo, the new Administrator, served as Director General for National Territory and Urban Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) and head of the Urban Regeneration Project Planning Team.
Lee, the senior secretary, said, "The new Commissioner Lee Jong-uk uncovered large-scale illegal roundabout exports and, in a joint operation with the Thai government, cracked down on a large quantity of narcotics," adding, "He is the right person to reliably support our corporations' trade and investment activities and block clearance practices that harm public safety."
Lee added, "The new Administrator Moon Sung-yo is a career bureaucrat in national land and urban development, having laid the groundwork for the administrative-centered multifunctional city and established master plans for Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang," and said, "We expect Saemangeum to make a great leap as a hub for future high-tech industries such as robots and artificial intelligence (AI), with him playing a major role."
The reshuffle was announced even though the terms of the incumbent first vice minister of the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Commissioner of the Korea Customs Service have not yet reached one year. Vice-ministerial appointments are typically rotated on a two-year cycle, but this time they did not reach one year. Lee, the senior secretary, said, "The early stage of an administration is not an easy process, and both individuals made significant contributions to laying the groundwork for policy in their respective fields," while adding, "These are the personnel moves needed to advance administration in the relevant areas in a new and forward-looking way."
President Lee also commissioned three chairs and vice chairs of government committees. He commissioned former lawmaker Hong Mi-young as Chairperson of the Presidential Commission on Sustainable Development. Hong served as a 17th-term National Assembly member and later as head of Incheon's Bupyeong District Office and secretary general of the Korean Women Politicians' Network.
Baek Jong-woo, a professor at Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, was commissioned as Vice Chairperson of the National Commission on Life and Safety. Baek served as president of the Korea Suicide Prevention Association and as advisory chair of the National Assembly Suicide Prevention Forum. Kim Ki-young, a professor in the Department of Library and Information Science at Yonsei University, who was commissioned as Chairperson of the Committee on Library and Information Policy, has served as director of education at the Korean Society for Library and Information Science and as head of the Smart Work Committee at the Korean Library Association.