Administrator Park Chun-sup of the Public Procurement Service (PPS) delivers his inaugural speech as he took office as the first administrator of the President Moon Jae-in government on July 24.

A view of new PPS Administrator Park Chun-sup’s inauguration ceremony in which he emphasized job creation for youth and interaction with the market. (Photos: PPS)

Former Vice Minister Park Chun-sup of the Ministry of Strategy and Finance (MOSF) Park Chun-sup took office as the first administrator of the Public Procurement Service (PPS) in the President Moon Jae-in government on July 24. 

In his inaugural speech, PPS Administrator Park said, “The government has come up with an 11 trillion won supplementary budget to give a helping hand to youth seeking jobs, and PPS will have to make efforts to create as many jobs as possible.”

Economic indexes show signs of improvement. For starters, the national economy grew 0.9 percent in the first quarter of this year over the previous quarter, but people are still feeling difficulties, he said. In particular, the youth unemployment rate stands at 23 percent, meaning one of every four young people is jobless. In an effort to give a helping hand to youth, the government came up with an 11 trillion won supplementary budget, which was approved by the National Assembly on July 22.  

“I know several steps designed to help prominent venture and SME companies expand their sales in the procurement market are now available, and I’ll delve into whether better options can be adopted,” he said. 

New PPS Administrator Park stressed customer-oriented operation of the PPS. “(I)’ll look into any problems of current procurement-related regulations and systems, which have been established a long time ago, and I will lend an ear to the voices of the market,” he said. Park added that procurement prices need to be set properly compared to market prices, and they will have to be readjusted according to market price changes. 

Park emphasized open-minded and interacting PPS. He stressed not only communications with people, but also up-down and horizontal smooth interactions. 

Park, a graduate of Daejeon High School, graduated from Seoul National University International Economics Department and obtained a master’s degree from the University of Manchester. He passed the 31st higher administrative examination. 

The PPS administrator held such positions as director of the Budget Department at the MOSF, a director generation dispatched to the National Assembly Special Committee of Budget & Settlements, and director general in charge of economy and budget deliberation at the MOSF’s Budget Office, and the head of the Budget Office. 

He has been credited with handling the 2017 budget as the chief of the Budget Office in the ex-President Park Geun-hye government and the first supplementary budget in the President Moon Jae-in government. He is the only one of six MOSF first-class officials who has been promoted as vice-minister.