Minister nominee Hong Ji-seon is a career bureaucrat who handled construction, urban housing, roads, and railways for 28 years in Gyeonggi Province. After building a public service career on the front lines of local government, Hong was tapped last year as the second vice minister at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT).
The presidential office appointed Hong on the 30th, saying Hong is "a career bureaucrat with extensive on-site experience, having served in key posts across railways, roads, and construction for about 28 years in Gyeonggi Province, from policy design to execution."
Born in Donghae, Gangwon, Hong entered public service through the second local civil service exam and in 2015 became head of Gyeonggi Province's Road Policy Division. Hong served as director of construction in 2016, director of railways in 2018, and director of rail, port and logistics in 2019. From 2020 to early 2023, Hong served as head of the Urban and Dwellings Office in Gyeonggi Province, overseeing housing and urban policy.
While working in Gyeonggi Province, Hong led the "five key roads in northern Gyeonggi" project to expand the region's road network. Hong was also involved in pending issues related to private investment roads such as Ilsan Bridge.
In January 2024, Hong moved to serve as vice mayor of Namyangju, overseeing overall city administration for about two years. Hong focused on field administration such as road construction and dwellings supply projects, including the third new towns, the extension of the Byeollae Line, and transfer centers.
In December last year, Hong was tapped as the second vice minister at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT). It was seen as unusual that someone with extensive hands-on experience in local government joined the post of second vice minister, which has typically been filled by internal officials at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT).
Hong's top priority appears to be consolidating the government's dwellings supply measures into actual groundbreaking. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), through the "Aug. 13 swift supply plan for dwellings," decided to additionally supply 230,000-plus units in the greater Seoul area, but there are significant hurdles, including designating new housing sites, compensation, and resident opposition.
Hong is also expected to take on major pending issues such as the integration of KORAIL and SR, the construction of the Gadeokdo New Airport, the expansion of the metropolitan transportation network, and the commercialization of Autonomous Driving vehicles.
▲ Born 1970, Donghae, Gangwon ▲ Seongnam High School ▲ Hanyang University, B.S. and M.S. in civil engineering ▲ University of Birmingham (U.K.), M.S. in urban and regional planning ▲ second local civil service exam ▲ Gyeonggi Province head of Road Policy Division; director of construction; director of railways; director of rail, port and logistics; head of Urban and Dwellings Office ▲ vice mayor of Namyangju ▲ Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport second vice minister