SEOUL, December 28 (AJP) - South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has nominated Lee Hye-hoon, a prominent three-term lawmaker from the rival conservative bloc, to lead the newly established Ministry of Planning and Budget, the presidential office announced Sunday. The surprise appointment is a rare instance of cross-party recruitment in South Korean politics, signaling a shift toward bipartisan economic governance as the administration prepares to launch a major government reorganization in January.
Presidential spokesperson Lee Kyu-yeon stated that the nomination reflects President Lee's intention to "use the playing field widely," disregarding political ideology in matters of public livelihood and the economy. In South Korea's political landscape, where cabinet posts are typically reserved for ruling party loyalists or aligned bureaucrats, nominating a heavyweight politician who ran as a candidate for the ruling People Power Party as recently as last year is highly unusual.
Lee Hye-hoon is a representative figure of the conservative camp, having served three terms in the 17th, 18th, and 20th assemblies under the banners of the Grand National Party, Saenuri Party, and Bareun Party. An economic expert with a doctorate in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a research background at the Korea Development Institute, Lee is expected to lead the ministry's focus on fiscal soundness and long-term national strategy.
Her nomination comes as the government prepares to dismantle the current Ministry of Economy and Finance. Effective January 2, the ministry will be split into two separate entities—the Ministry of Planning and Budget and the Ministry of Finance and Economy—marking a return to a dual-structure system intended to check the concentration of power in financial governance.
Alongside the cabinet nomination, President Lee filled key advisory posts with experts possessing legislative and technical backgrounds. Kim Sung-sik, a former two-term lawmaker and policy expert who chaired the Special Committee on the 4th Industrial Revolution, was appointed Vice Chairperson of the National Economic Advisory Council. For the Vice Chairperson of the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology, the president tapped Lee Kyeong-soo, the chairperson of Enable Fusion and a former deputy director-general of the ITER Organization.
The president also promoted seasoned bureaucrats to vice-ministerial roles. Kim Jong-gu, formerly the head of the Grain Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, was named Vice Minister of the same agency. In a parallel move, Hong Ji-sun, a civil engineering expert and former Vice Mayor of Namyangju, was appointed Second Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
Additionally, President Lee solidified his political inner circle by appointing two close allies to special advisory roles. Jo Jeong-sik, a six-term lawmaker and former Democratic Party secretary-general, was named Special Advisor for Political Affairs, while Lee Han-ju, a long-time policy architect for the president and current chairperson of the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities, and Social Sciences, was appointed Special Advisor for Policy.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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