Yoon names new unification minister, Olympic gold medalist for vice culture minister
SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday named a new unification minister and an Olympic weightlifting gold medalist for vice culture minister in a reshuffle also affecting one other ministerial post and 11 other vice ministers, his chief of staff said.
Kim Yung-ho, a professor of political science and diplomacy at Sungshin Women's University, was tapped to lead the Unification Ministry, while Jang Mi-ran, winner of the 2008 Olympic gold in the women's over 75-kilogram category, was named second vice minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Kim Dae-ki said during a press briefing.
Kim Hong-il, a lawyer and former chief of the Busan High Prosecutors Office, was named chief of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, a ministerial post.
Ambassador to Vietnam Oh Young-ju was named second vice foreign minister, while Ambassador to Thailand Moon Seoung-hyun was named vice unification minister.
The other affected positions were vice ministers of the ministries of finance, science, agriculture, environment, labor, land, oceans and SMEs.
Kim Wan-sub, chief of the budget office of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, was named second vice finance minister, while Cho Seong-kyung, presidential secretary for science and technology, was named first vice minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT.
Han Hoon, chief of Statistics Korea, was tapped for vice minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, while Lim Sang-jun, presidential secretary for national agenda, was named vice minister of the Ministry of Environment.
Yoon also picked Lee Sung-hee, a researcher at the Korea Labor Institute, for vice minister of the Ministry of Employment and Labor, and Kim Oh-jin, presidential secretary for general affairs, for first vice minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Baek Won-kug, presidential secretary for land, infrastructure and transport, was named its second vice minister.
Meanwhile, Park Sung-hoon, presidential secretary for national planning, was named vice minister of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, while Oh Kee-woong, planning and coordination chief at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, was named its vice minister.
The reshuffle also saw the nomination of Kim Chae-hwan, a former professor of Seoul Cyber University, as president of the National Human Resources Development Institute.
"I will do my best to handle the North Korean nuclear issue with principles and build a foundation for improving South-North relations," Kim Yung-ho, the unification minister nominee, told reporters at the same briefing, adding he will do his best to form a public consensus on ways to achieve a peaceful reunification rooted in the basic order of liberal democracy. His appointment is subject to a parliamentary confirmation hearing.
Kim Hong-il, nominee for anti-corruption chief, said he will work to quickly stabilize the commission and focus on its proper roles of preventing corruption and promoting people's rights and interests in order to win the people's trust.
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