President Lee Jae-myung Nominates Ahn Kyu-baek as the First Minister of National Defense… First Civilian Head Since May 16

President Lee Jae-myung nominated Ahn Kyu-baek, a member of the Democratic Party, as the first candidate for Minister of National Defense on the 23rd.

This marks the first appointment of a civilian as Minister of National Defense since the May 16 military coup in 1961. President Lee emphasized even during his candidate days that "defense is no longer the prerogative of the military, and a civilian-led security strategy is needed."

The presidential office announced the nominations for a total of 11 ministers that day, including Ahn's nomination.

The appointments reflect President Lee's personnel philosophy of 'integration and expertise,' with the nominations for the Ministry of Unification, Foreign Affairs, and Science and Technology including Jeong Dong-young, Cho Hyun, and Bae Kyung-hoon, respectively.

Jeong Dong-young, a Democratic Party member who previously served as the Minister of Unification during former President Roh Moo-hyun's administration, has been nominated for Minister of Unification. His nomination is seen as a focus on restoring inter-Korean relations. Cho Hyun, the former First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, has been nominated as the Foreign Minister.

Bae Kyung-hoon, the head of LG AI Research Institute, has been nominated as the Minister of Science and Technology Information and Communications. There are high expectations that he will strengthen the national digital strategy based on his experience in the private big tech sector.

Kwon Oh-eul, a former member of the National Assembly, has been nominated for Minister of Veterans Affairs. Kwon, a three-term legislator, is considered a balanced personnel choice.

Democratic Party Members and External Experts Equally Included for Women, Maritime, Labor, and SMEs

The announced appointments also include many current Democratic Party lawmakers. Kim Sung-hwan has been nominated as Minister of Environment, Kang Sun-woo as Minister of Gender Equality and Family, and Jeon Jae-soo as Minister of Oceans and Fisheries.

Kim Young-hoon, former chairman of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, has been nominated as Minister of Employment and Labor, marking a notable case of a labor sector figure being appointed. Han Seong-sook, a former representative of Naver, has been nominated as Minister of SMEs and Startups, conveying a message of promoting female private sector experts.

Among the current ministers, Song Mi-ryeong, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, has been retained.

Yoon Chang-ryeol, former First Deputy Minister, has been appointed as the Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, taking on the role of coordinating the cabinet. Yoon has an extensive background as a political bureaucrat with experience in national planning and policy coordination.

This personnel appointment is evaluated as essentially concluding the makeup of President Lee Jae-myung's first cabinet. The presidential office plans to submit a personnel recommendation to the National Assembly soon, taking into account the schedule for confirmation hearings.

Image source: Ahn Kyu-baek, Minister of National Defense nominee / News1