South Korea's Lee appoints Koo Yun Cheol as finance minister and makes other choices

His office announced on Sunday that South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung had appointed a former Vice Finance Minister, Koo Yun Cheol, as his new Finance Minister.

Kang Hoon Sik, Lee's chief-of-staff, said that Koo was a well-known policy expert who has held various positions in the government. He is also an author of books about South Korea's growth and innovation, including a recent book on artificial intelligence.

Kim Jung-kwan was named as the industry minister among other positions. He is the president of Doosan Enerbility, a power plant manufacturer, and a veteran bureaucrat with experience in energy, economics and public policy.

Kang, who was referring to the new leader’s goal to balance nuclear energy and renewable energies, said that Kim is the right person to realize President Lee’s “energy mix philosophy”.

Jeong Eun Kyeong, the former head of South Korea’s disease control agency was nominated as health minister. She has been praised for her response in the COVID-19 Pandemic and was named one of Time Magazine's top 100 influential people of 2020.

In South Korea, cabinet nominations must be approved by a parliament hearing. Presidents can appoint nominees without parliamentary approval. Lee's Democratic Party is the majority in parliament. (Reporting and editing by William Mallard; Ju-min Park)

(source: Reuters)