ICT minister nominee vows to push 4th industrial revolution

The government has been pushing forward with various projects to cope with the latest revolution that is characterized by a fusion of cutting-edge technologies, such as big data and the Internet of Things.

"I feel huge responsibility in the face of mounting public interest towards the fourth industrial revolution after being nominated to head the Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning," the 66-year-old You said during his confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly.

Earlier, the State Affairs Planning Advisory Committee announced that the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning will be the main government body to coordinate plans for the next five years.

The nominee said he will focus on creating more jobs through the industrial revolution.

You has nearly 30 years of experience in the software sector, and worked as the head of the digital communication team in Moon Jae-in's camp during this year's presidential election.

"I promise to create more quality jobs and new kinds of positions based on my experience so that the ministry can systemically deal with the changes from the fourth industrial revolution," he said.

You's appointment marks the first time that a former executive of a conglomerate has been nominated to head a ministry under the Moon administration.

The nominee further said he will focus on creating more manpower in the ICT sector so that they can expand into the global market.

Born in the southern port city of Busan, he started his career at major tech firm LG Electronics Inc. in 1979. He is one of the first to be tapped as a chief information officer at a local tech firm, when the title was new to the business community as a whole.

After working for 25 years at LG Electronics, he was appointed the vice president of LG CNS. He was then tapped as the ICT chief of major steelmaker POSCO, before serving as chief executive officer of the POSCO Research Institute in 2010. (Yonhap)