President Lee Jae-myung on the 15th named Lee Jong-uk, Vice Administrator of the Korea Customs Service (52), as the new head of the agency.
The new Administrator was born in 1974 and is from Sangju, North Gyeongsang. After graduating from Gimcheon High School and Yonsei University with a degree in economics, Lee earned a master's in public administration from Rutgers University in the United States. Entering public service by passing the 43rd civil service exam, Lee served in key posts at the Korea Customs Service, including director general of clearance, Director General for Planning and Coordination, and director general of investigation.
Following Seong Yun-gap (22nd) in 2005, Cheon Hong-uk (28th) in 2016, Noh Seok-hwan (30th) in 2020, and Lee Myung-gu (34th) in 2025, this is the fifth time in history that an internal appointment at the Korea Customs Service has risen to Administrator. The head of the Korea Customs Service has mostly been appointed from the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The appointment is seen as an effort to seat a seasoned insider as the chief to maintain organizational stability while responding to turbulent trade conditions such as the U.S.-driven tariff war.
As director general of investigation, Lee posted notable results in cracking down on drug smuggling and illegal foreign exchange transactions, and while serving as Director General for Planning and Coordination, received internal reviews for overhauling overall organizational operations to boost work efficiency.
Since then, Lee has also served as Vice Administrator of the Korea Customs Service, earning trust within the organization. Lee Gyu-yeon, senior presidential secretary for public affairs, said, "Lee uncovered large-scale illegal roundabout exports and, in a joint operation with the Thai government, cracked down on a large quantity of narcotics," adding, "Lee is the right person to reliably support our corporations' trade and investment activities and block clearance practices that jeopardize public safety."