Lee appoints key vice ministers

[Anchor]

President Lee continued his personnel appointments today (6.10).

First, he announced that he would appoint key public officials, including ministers and vice ministers, based on public recommendations.

However, due to urgent livelihood issues and the upcoming G7 summit, he prioritized appointments in the economic and diplomatic sectors.

Reporter Lee Hee-yeon has the details.

[Report]

“I will open the door to a government of the people, by the people.”

This was President Lee Jae-myung’s message on social media today.

He announced that high-level officials, such as ministers and vice ministers, who are appointed by the president, will now be selected through public recommendations.

Starting today, applications can be submitted for one week via the website of the Ministry of Personnel Management or the president’s official social media accounts.

[Kang Yu-jung/Spokesperson for the Presidential Office: "Through a transparent and fair personnel recommendation system, we will actively discover genuine talents who serve the people."]

However, to address urgent national issues, six vice ministers in the economic and diplomatic fields were appointed first.

Lee Hyoung-il, the head of the Statistics Korea, was appointed as the first vice minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

The Presidential Office explained that he is the right person to handle crises due to his extensive experience, including working in the Financial Policy Bureau right after the IMF financial crisis.

The second vice minister will be Lim Ki-keun, the head of the Public Procurement Service, who is an expert in budgeting.

He is expected to play a role in coordinating supplementary budgets due to his experience in the National Assembly.

For the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Park Yoon-joo, the Minister-Counselor at the Korean Mission to ASEAN, who has shown expertise in resolving North American regional issues, was appointed as the first vice minister, while Kim Jina, a professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies who served as a disarmament advisor to the UN Secretary-General, was appointed as the second vice minister.

Moon Shin-hak, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, who has been recognized for his significant contributions to energy transition policies, was appointed as the first vice minister.

Yeo Han-koo, a senior researcher with experience from the Moon Jae-in administration, was appointed as the Minister for Trade to lead tariff negotiations with the United States.

The presidential office explained that the appointments are part of a strategy to focus human resources on economic recovery and prepare a capable diplomatic team to protect national interests at the upcoming G7 summit.

This is KBS News, Lee Hee-yeon.