Seoul, en.SERU.co.id — South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has nominated First Vice Finance Minister Lee Hyoung-il as the country’s new deputy prime minister and minister of economy and finance in a cabinet reshuffle announced Sunday.
Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik announced the nominations during a briefing at Cheong Wa Dae. Lee Hyoung-il, 55, has served as first vice finance minister since June 2025 and is expected to take charge of the government’s economic policy as the administration enters its second year.
Lee is a career economic policymaker who has held several senior positions in the finance ministry. He previously served as presidential secretary for economic policy under the Moon Jae-in and Yoon Suk-yeol administrations, headed Statistics Korea from 2023 to 2025 and worked as a senior economist at the World Bank.
Kang said Lee is expected to help translate positive economic indicators into improvements in living standards while addressing economic polarization and supporting stable growth.
Six Other Cabinet Nominations
The reshuffle includes nominations for six other ministerial posts:
- Kang Shin-chul, former deputy commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, as defense minister
- Kim Seung-won, a Democratic Party lawmaker, as justice minister
- Hong Jee-sun, second vice land minister, as minister of land, infrastructure and transport
- Lee So-young, a Democratic Party lawmaker, as minister of small and medium-sized enterprises and startups
- Yong Hye-in, floor leader of the Basic Income Party, as minister of gender equality and family
The appointments come as the government prepares its 2027 budget and seeks to manage an economy that has performed more strongly than previously expected.
The nominees are subject to parliamentary scrutiny. Under South Korea’s constitutional system, however, the president has the authority to make ministerial appointments even when the National Assembly does not approve a nominee.
Read Also:
Super Junior’s Kim Heechul Donates $72,000 to South Korea Flood Relief
