President Lee Jae-myung carried out a reshuffle of his cabinet on Aug. 30, replacing ministers in six key posts for the second time since his inauguration as his administration looks to reverse declining approval ratings.
Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik announced the nominations at a briefing at Cheong Wa Dae.
Lee Hyoung-il, first vice minister of the Ministry of Finance and Economy (MOFE), was nominated to serve as deputy prime minister-MOFE minister.
Lee, born in 1971, is a seasoned bureaucrat who has held key positions since joining the finance ministry in 1993, building expertise in both domestic and international economics as a senior economist at the World Bank and as commissioner of Statistics Korea.
He has served as vice minister since June 2025.
In a statement following his nomination, Deputy Prime Minister-MOFE Minister Nominee Lee said the Korean economy needs to take on new challenges to achieve a “great leap forward toward an irreplaceable Korea.”
He vowed to build on the momentum achieved over the past year while creating new investment and growth opportunities through three mega-projects, laying the groundwork for a rebound in potential growth and working to ensure the benefits are shared broadly to address polarization and support people’s livelihoods.
Kang Shin-chul, a former deputy commander of the Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, was nominated as defense minister while Rep. Kim Seung-won of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea was nominated as justice minister.
Defense Minister-nominee Kang, born in 1968, graduated from the Korea Military Academy and rose to senior posts at the Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Office of National Security before retiring as a four-star general last year. He has served as Korea’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia since January.
Justice Minister nominee Kim passed the bar exam in 1996 and served as a judge before practicing law and joining the Moon Jae-in administration’s presidential office in 2018.
An advocate for prosecutorial reform, he has been a leader on the issue in the National Assembly since winning a seat in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, in 2020.
“Korea now stands on the cusp of a major transformation of the criminal justice system that has remained in place for 70 years,” Kim said in a statement after his nomination.
“I will work to uncover the substantive truth more swiftly, protect public safety and more thoroughly safeguard the rights of crime victims.” He later resigned from his nomination over controversies.
Hong Jee-sun, second vice minister of land, infrastructure and transport, was nominated to lead that ministry, while Rep. Lee So-young of the DPK was nominated to head the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS).
MOLIT Minister-nominee Hong is a career bureaucrat who built his career mainly in Gyeonggi Province, holding major posts in urban development, housing, construction and transportation planning.
MSS Minister-nominee Lee, a former lawyer specializing in climate and environmental law, wrote on Facebook after her nomination that she would dedicate herself to “building a receptive foundation for innovation and moving toward an ‘Innovative Nation’ — one where the creativity and ideas of our people seamlessly translate into real-world change.”
Rep. Yong Hye-in, leader of the minor Basic Income Party, was nominated as minister of gender equality and family.
Born in 1990, Yong, a two-term lawmaker and former civic activist, tended her resignation over controversies.
In related appointments, Rep. Lee Hae-min of the minor Rebuilding Korea Party was named senior presidential secretary for AI future planning, while Lee Won-ju, director general for energy transition policy at the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, was appointed presidential secretary for megaprojects. Kim Kyoung-soo, former governor of South Gyeongsang Province, was named special adviser to the president for political affairs.
Ha Jung-woo, former senior presidential secretary for AI future planning, was named vice chair of the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy Committee under the presidential office.
Political parties split over the reshuffle, with the ruling DPK broadly welcoming the move and the main opposition People Power Party condemning it.
“I welcome the cabinet reshuffle, a move that symbolizes competence, youthful energy and the strengthening of a progressive and reform-minded coalition,” newly elected DPK leader Kim Min-seok wrote on Facebook.
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