Moon Jae-in taps finance, foreign ministers

President Moon Jae-in on Sunday named seven key members of the Cabinet and his secretariat, including finance and foreign affairs ministers.

Kim Dong-yeon, a university president versed in fiscal and economic policy and without ties to partisan politics, was appointed to the post of the deputy prime minister cum finance minister, while Kang Kyung-wha, senior policy adviser to the UN secretary general, was tapped to head the foreign ministry. 

“In choosing a deputy prime minister (for economic affairs), I sought someone who had comprehensive crisis management capacity and a positive drive,” Moon said in a briefing, announcing the nomination of Kim, incumbent head of Ajou University and former finance vice minister.

Delivering the personnel announcement himself, the president explained that he felt the need to “directly address the people” upon revealing key officials in the government’s economic and foreign affairs sectors.

“Having made his way from head of a low-income household to ranking government posts, Kim is a person who may sympathize with the public’s hardships, and his experience as finance vice minister and state affairs coordination director proves him to be a capable finance official,” Moon said.

The president added that he had no personal relationship or past contacts with the nominee, underlining a capacity-focused appointment process.

Jang Ha-sung, renowned professor of economics at Korea University, was appointed as Cheong Wa Dae’s chief policymaker to work in partnership with the incoming prime minister and deputy prime minister.

Jang is known for his radical conglomerate reform blueprints, as well as his past experience of helping Ahn Cheol-soo of the People’s Party during the 2012 presidential electioneering season.

“Jang is a scholar who has consistently devoted himself to solving the economic inequality issue in Korean society, as well as an activist who strove to realize his ideals,” Moon said.

“He is the most qualified person to revise the nation’s economy from its current conglomerate-centered structure into a people-driven one, to alleviate social polarization and to achieve economic democratization.”

Conservative economist Kim Kwang-doo was named vice chairman of the presidential economic advisory committee, a constitutional organization which has largely been stalled since the former conservative Lee Myung-bak administration.

“Kim is a reformist conservative and thus doesn’t quite share my thoughts (on the economy) but I believe that by working together, we may achieve a virtuous circle of growth and distribution,” Moon added.

As chief of the foreign ministry, the president tapped Kang, special policy adviser to United Nations secretary-general. If confirmed for the given post, Kang is to become not only the first female foreign minister in the nation’s history but also the first not to have come from the Foreign Service Examination circles.

“I believe her to be the best person to pull through the incumbent diplomatic challenges, making good use of her expertise in the international organization,” Moon said.

“Her appointment is also significant in that it promotes gender equality within the Cabinet.”

President Moon has been putting a great deal of efforts into sorting out capable female officials to take key posts in the Cabinet or the presidential secretariat, according to a senior Blue House official.

“He is quite determined to promote gender equality in the government, not in a perfunctory way but by actually bestowing key roles such as foreign minister on women who are fit for the job,” he said.

The presidential office added that Kang had minor flaws in her family members’ profile, including the fact that her elder daughter had chosen US citizenship over her Korean nationality and that she once registered a false residence so as to be accepted into a preferred school.

“Kang was appointed despite these problems as she was deemed the best diplomatic chief in current circumstances,” said Cho Hyun-ock, senior presidential secretary for personnel affairs.

“We have decided to reveal all this information as the president wished to make the personnel process clear to the public.”

Working with Kang from within the Blue House are Yonsei University Professor Moon Chung-in and Moon’s special envoy to the United States Hong Seok-hyun, both named as special advisers for unification, foreign affairs and national security. Former diplomat Chung Eui-yong, who played a pivotal role in Hong’s US visit was named as Cheong Wa Dae’s national security chief.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)