Lee Pursues
Business-Friendly Policies

Appoints 15 ministers

President Lee Myung-bak has unveiled the list of the first cabinet members of his incoming government. The people chosen as ministers are mostly business-friendly figures in line with Lee's pursuit of pragmatic policies with a priority on the economy.
Lee made public 15 nominees for his first Cabinet.
Lee named Kim Doh-yeon, 56, a materials science professor of Seoul National University, as minister of education and human resources development.
Lee had originally planned to designate Euh Yoon-dae, a former president of Korea University, to head the education ministry. According to the reform bill, that ministry is supposed to become the Ministry of Education and Science. Euh was dropped from the list after his wife's alleged excessive real estate speculation was made public.
Kang Man-soo, 63, a former vice finance minister, was appointed minister of strategic planning and finance. Born in Hapcheon, South Gyeongsang Province, Kang began his bureaucratic career in 1970.
Kang was also a close confidant of Lee in 2005 when the President was the mayor of Seoul.
Lee had originally considered former commerce and industry minister Yoon Jin-shik as the minister of finance and economy. Yoon is likely to be tapped for a key post in the Lee Myung-bak administration, though he will not be named at this time.
Yu Myung-hwan, ambassador to Japan, was named to head the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
With 35 years of experience, Yu, 61, served as vice foreign minister between 2005 and 2006.
Lee Sang-hee, 63, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was nominated as defense minister.
Lawyer Kim Kyung-han, 64, was designated as justice minister. He served as chief of the Supreme Prosecutors'Office.
Lee Youn-ho, 61, vice chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries, was appointed to lead the Ministry of the Knowledge-based Economy Ministry.
Actor Yu In-chon was appointed minister of culture and tourism. He was a member of the Lee Myung-bak camp during the presidential campaign last December.
The 56-year-old is now a professor at ChoongAng University.
Lee next selected Chung 38-chun, 54, chairman of the Korea Agriculture CEO Association, as minister of agriculture, fisheries and food.
Park Eun-kyung, 62, a female activist for the environment, was named minister of the environment; professor Kim Soung-yee, 62, of Ewha Womans University, was tapped as minister of health and welfare; and professor Lee Young-hui, 65, of Inha University, will head up the Ministry of Labor.
Won Se-hoon, who served as vice-mayor of Seoul for two-and-a-half years when Lee was mayor, was named administration and security.
Chung Jong-hwan, 60, who was appointed construction and transportation minister, is a career administrator who accumulated his expertise developing the nation's transportation-related policies.
Lee also named two more Cabinet ministers. They are Korea Freedom League Vice Chairwoman Lee Choon-ho, 63, and Kyonggi University Professor Nam Joo-hong, 56, as ministers of gender equality and family and unification,
respectively. But Lee later resigned in connection with her alleged speculation of real estate.
The key to the cabinet formation is the naming of Lee Youn-ho, as the minister of the knowledge-based ministry.
Lee Youn-ho is expected to craft industrial policies that will inject fresh vigor into the world's 11th largest economy.
The ministry comes into being by merging the current Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy with parts of the Ministry of Information and Communication and the Ministry of Science and Technology.
The business community welcomed the nomination of Lee Youn-ho, currently vice chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries, who is known as a balanced rationalist with experience and knowledge encompassing government, academia and business circles. They believe Lee Youn-ho could work as a bridge between the new government and businesses, creating a business-friendly environment
Lee Youn-ho started his social career at the Economic Planning Board, but joined the LG Economic Research Institute after receiving a Ph.D.
in economics at the University of Wisconsin in 1984. After serving as the head of the economic think tank for over a decade, he was scouted by the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), the lobbying group for large conglomerates.
Lee Youn-ho is known to have influenced President Lee over his pledges regarding the economy.
The 60-year-old FKI vice chairman has emphasized the principles of the market economy, strengthening economic growth through new growth engines and deregulation. For example, he examined around 6,000 government regulations and suggested solutions while at FKI.
President Lee, who visited FKI after winning the election, promised a business-friendly government. Business circles and the President are expected to continue their friendly relationships with the nomination of Lee Youn-ho.
Representatives of small- and medium-sized businesses expressed concerns that Lee, who has worked as a chaebol mouthpiece, may be inclined toward conglomerates instead of being business-friendly as a whole, on their recent visit to the transition team.
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions said that a chaebol man at the center of industrial policies means all economic policies will be determined based on neo-liberalism.
Minister of Strategic Planning and Finance
Kang Man-soo, 63, served as finance minister and commerce minister since becoming a civil servant in 1970. One of his achievements was a tax-cut policy implemented in 1994 and 1995 when he was a chief tax policy maker.
In his book titled "30 Years of Korean Economy,"he even suggested removing corporate tax.
A native of Hapcheon, South Gyeongsang Province, Kang stresses a more active role of the government in interest rates and foreign exchange policy.
Kang was also a close confidant of President Lee in 2005 when Lee was mayor of Seoul. They first met at Somang Church in southern Seoul in the early 1980s.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Ambassador to Tokyo Yu Myung-hwan, 62, served as vice foreign minister between 2005 and 2006. He entered the foreign ministry 35 years ago.
Yu was presidential secretary for foreign affairs in 1995 under the Kim Young-sam administration.
Yu is known as a U.S. expert as he served as director general of the North American bureau, minister and counselor of the Embassy in Washington, D.C. He was also ambassador to Israel.
Unlike other diplomats, he is very assertive when making political decisions, but is reportedly subservient to people of power.
Minister of Justice
Lawyer Kim Kyung-han, 64, was vice justice minister under the Kim Dae-jung administration and spent many of his 30 years in public service as a prosecutor.
A native of Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, Kim graduated from the law department of Seoul National University, and is known as being senior in human networks from Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province within the prosecution fraternity.
He sticks to principles and does not compromise when it comes to work.
A devout Catholic, Kim is also active in volunteer work.
Minister of National Defense
Lee Sang-hee, 63, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has a reputation for his close communication with the United States, and the restoration of a strengthened Seoul-Washington alliance is his main mission.
He successfully extended the timing of the transfer of wartime operational control from the United States to Korea from 2009 to 2012.
Lee Sang-hee emphasizes efficiency and is known to be demanding of his subordinates.
Born in Wonju, Gangwon Province, Lee Sang-hee is the only Gangwon native among the new ministers.
Minister of Administration and Security
Won Se-hoon, 57, served as vice-mayor of Seoul when Lee was mayor for two and half years. Won't performance is known to have been highly evaluated by Lee, as the average term for vice mayor is one year.
Won contributed to Lee's two main achievements as mayor: the restoration of the Cheonggyecheon stream and the reorganization of bus-only lanes in Seoul.
Won enjoys the absolute confidence of Lee as the President once said, "Won will work with me until the end."A native of Youngju, Gyeonggi Province, Won graduated from Seoul National University.
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Actor Yu In-chon, 57, has worked in TV dramas, movies and musicals for 35 years. He first met Lee when he played Lee's character in a hit TV drama 20 years ago.
Their friendship is very strong as Lee has often attended performances by Yu unannounced. Yu was also a member of Lee's camp during the presidential campaign last year.
Yu donated 200 million won to create a new actor award named after himself, and is considered one of the best Korean actors to portray Hamlet.
A Seoul native, Yu graduated from ChoongAng University in Seoul and is now a professor at the university.
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Chung 38-chun, 54, is a farmer who made a huge success in planning and marketing in the agricultural field.
His success story is covered in a sociology textbook for primary students.
Chung also graduated from Korea University like President Lee and both are proven CEOs.
"We can't close the nation to foreign agricultural products. We should develop competitive products to survive,"he said.
Born in Gochang, North Jeolla Province, he is the only minister from the province.
However, he has no government or political experience.
Minister of Knowledge-based Economy
Vice President of the Federation of Korean Industries Lee Youn-ho, 60, served as an official at the Economic Planning Board and the Korea Federation of Banks and as president of the LG Economic Research Institute.
He is a strong supporter of the market economy with a deep knowledge of private companies'operations.
Lee Youn-ho openly criticized what he calls corporate-unfriendly policies of the administrations of Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun.
A native of Daejeon, Lee Youn-ho graduated from Yonsei University in Seoul and received a doctorate in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States.
Minister of Health, Welfare
Kim Soung-yee, 62, social welfare professor of Ewha Womans University, advised Lee on welfare policies during Lee's term as Seoul mayor.
Kim assumed the head position of a forum in which 157,000 supporters of Lee participated in June 2007 and actively joined the presidential campaign.
This is the first time for a welfare expert to become the welfare minister.
He was born in Sinuiju, North Korea, and graduated from Seoul National University.
His weakness is that he has no experience in health affairs. But aides to Lee said on the contrary it would be good for him to conduct a neutral policy.
Minister of Environment
President of the YWCA in Korea Park Eun-kyung, 62, is an environmental and women's rights activist.
Gaining a Ph.D in anthropology from Ewha Womans University, Park also served as vice president of the YWCA for eight years.
She first met Lee when she became a member of the Green Committee of Seoul City when Lee was mayor. She contributed to the creation of Seoul Forest with Lee.
Park, a native of Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, is the only female minister of the incoming government.
Minister of Labor
Lee Young-hui, 65, labor law professor of Inha University in Incheon, first entered the Grand National Party as head of the party's think tank, the Yeouido Institute, in 1995.
Park Se-il, policy-making secretary to then-President Kim Young-sam reportedly recommended Lee Young-hui for the labor minister post to the President.
Lee Young-hui has worked as a policy adviser to the former Seoul mayor since last month.
Regarding the labor issue, he said, "Dialogue is important, but observation of the law is more important."A native of North Gyeongsang Province, Lee graduated from Seoul National University.
Minister of Construction and Transportation
Chung Jong-hwan, 60, former president of the Korea Rail Network Authority, spent his 29-year public service career in transportation policy.
How he will approach Lee's plan to build the nationwide canal project will draw attention.
Chung is also renowned for his reforms in the government. He cut red tape when he was head of the nation's train service in the late 1990s.
However, some point out that he is too focused on transportation policy rather than other important areas such as real estate.
Born in Cheongyang, South Chungcheong Province, he helped Lee gain support from the province during the party primary last year.
Minister for Special Responsibility
Nam Joo-hong, 56, politics professor of Kyonggi University in Seoul, served as security adviser to former President Kim Young-sam.
A conservative security professor, Nam believes that North Korea policy should be balanced between unification and security. He said the administrations of Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun leaned more toward unification.
"I'll do my best to resolve North Korea's nuclear weapons problem in order to implement President Lee's security and diplomacy pledges,"he said.
A native of Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, Nam has a doctorate in political science from London University. nw

President Lee Myung-bak announces his first 15-member cabinet lineup at the presidential transition team's office in Seoul on Feb. 18.

Han Seung-soo, prime minister

Kang Man-soo, minister of strategic planning and finance

Lee Youn-ho, minister of knowledge-based economy

Chung Jong-hwan, minister of construction and transportation

Yoo In-chon, minister of culture, sports and tourism