Ex-vice finance minister to lead environment ministry

Kim Wan-sup, the Environment Minister nominee, is a bureaucrat who served as the second vice minister of the Finance Ministry last year.

On nominating Kim, Presidential Chief of Staff Chung Jin-suk said that Kim has a “better understanding of the Yoon administration’s state philosophy than anyone else.”

“The current administration expects Kim will be able to carry out balanced policies, especially given the growing impact of environmental issues on the economy, such as combating climate change,” he added.

Kim has mostly served in the Finance Ministry since 1992, and has previously served as the Director General of the Finance Ministry’s Budget Office and the Director General for Budget Coordination before assuming his position as the second vice minister in 2023. He left the position later in the same year to run for parliamentary election in April which he lost.

Kim holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Korea University, as well as a master’s degree in public administration from Seoul National University and a doctorate in economics from the University of Missouri.

The 56-year-old is set to replace Han Wha-jin, Yoon's first environment minister. His nomination requires an Assembly hearing but does not require its approval.