Moon carries out major Cabinet reshuffle, names new ambassador to US

From top left: Cho Kuk, Choi Ki-young, Kim Hyeon-soo, Lee Jung-ok, Joh Sung-wook
From bottom left: Eun Sung-soo, Han Sang-hyuk, Park Sam-deuk, Lee Soo-hyuck, Jeong Se-hyun (Yonhap) Koreaherald/ANN

President Moon Jae-in on Friday carried out his first Cabinet reshuffle in five months, nominating four new ministers, four minister-level positions, a vice minister, and ambassador to the United States.

Cho Kuk, former senior presidential secretary for civil affairs who served the post since the inauguration of the Moon administration, has been nominated justice minister, replacing Park Sang-ki.

Choi Ki-young, an electronic information engineering professor at Seoul National University, was nominated as the new minister of science and ICT. Choi will replace Yoo Young-min.

Park Sam-deuk has been nominated to replace Pi Woo-jin, the first woman to head the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. Park, a former lieutenant general, was president of the National Defense University. 

Kim Hyun-soo, who served as vice minister of Food, Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, was nominated as minister.

Lee Jung-ok, a sociology professor at the Catholic University of Daegu, has been nominated to replace Jin Sun-mee, a lawyer-turned-lawmaker, as minister of gender equality and family. 

Joh Sung Wook, a Seoul National University professor and nongovernmental delegate on the Regulatory Reform Committee, was nominated as the new Fair Trade Commission head. If appointed, she will become the first woman to lead the regulatory body.

Eun Sung-soo, former president of Export-Import Bank of Korea, has been nominated as the new chief of the Financial Services Commission, replacing Choi Jong-koo. 

Han Sang-hyuk, a lawyer specializing in press freedom, has been nominated to replace Lee Hyo-sung as Korea Communications Commission director.

Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Ko Min-jung (Yonhap) Koreaherald/ANN

Kim Joon-hyung, a Handong University professor, will head the Korean National Diplomatic Academy, a vice minister-level post. He chaired a national advisory committee for the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s innovation projects.

Jeong Se-hyun, former unification minister, was picked as the new deputy chair of the Presidential National Unification Advisory Council, a de facto ministerial post.

Lastly, Moon tapped diplomat-turned-lawmaker Lee Soo-hyuck as ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the US. Lee was former President Roh Moo-hyun’s North Korea strategist and was also South Korea’s chief negotiator at the first three rounds of six-party talks in 2003-2004. /kga