Speculation high over the new Minister of Health and Welfare

Who will be appointed the new Minister of Health and Welfare in the Lee Jae-Myung administration? … Eun-Kyeong Jeong and Seong-Il Yang are being discussed as candidates

Cabinet to focus on loyalty to the people and expertise in health and welfare

Cheong-Hee Kang, In-soon Nam, Hyun-Hee Jeon, Yoon Kim, and Hyun-young Shin among those mentioned

(clockwise from the upper left) Former KDCA head Eun-kyung Jeong; former MOHW vice minister Sung-il Yang; Democratic Party of Korea’s Health and Medical Care Special Committee chair Cheong-hee Kang; lawmakers In-soon Nam, former lawmaker Hyun-young Shin, lawmaker Yoon Kim, lawmaker Hyun-hee Jeon

Speculation is rife over who will become the first Minister of Health and Welfare in Lee Jae-myung's administration.

 

Eun-kyeong Jeong, former Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, who served as the chief campaign advisor for Democratic Party candidate Jae-myung Lee, is widely expected to be appointed as the next Minister of Health and Welfare.

 

However, no official nomination has been confirmed as of yet.

 

As a result, several names are being mentioned for the position of Minister of Health and Welfare, ranging from former public officials to former and current members of the Democratic Party of Korea.

 

According to political circles on the 8th, the candidates for the position of MOHW include former KDCA head Eun-kyung Jeong; former MOHW vice minister Sung-il Yang; Democratic Party of Korea’s Health and Medical Care Special Committee chair Cheong-hee Kang; lawmakers In-soon Nam, Hyun-hee Jeon, and Yoon Kim, and former lawmaker Hyun-young Shin.

 

Former KDCA head Jeong is credited with contributing to the Moon Jae-in administration's success in fighting COVID-19 on the front lines as well as to the election of Jae-myung Lee as president.

 

Jeong, who has been consistently mentioned as the next MOHW minister before and after the presidential election, has stated that she will return to her position as a clinical professor of family medicine at Seoul National University College of Medicine after the election.

 

During the presidential election period, Jeong herself repeatedly reaffirmed that her participation in the election was driven by the intention to contribute to the nation and its people amidst the turmoil caused by the declaration of martial law.

 

In addition, Sung-il Yang, who entered public service after graduating from Seoul National University with a degree in social welfare and passing the 35th civil service examination, is also mentioned as a candidate.

 

During the recent presidential election, he was active in Lee Jae-myung's think tank and, and served as the co-chair of the welfare policy subcommittee, devising strategies for the health insurance system reform and promoting the health industry.

 

Specifically, Yang is considered to have played a key role in Lee’s campaign as chair of the Economic Growth Committee's Pharmaceutical and Bio Health Committee, chair of the Basic Social Policy Committee's Basic Care Subcommittee, and head of the Special Committee on Citizens with Disabilities.

 

Cheong-hee Kang, Chair of the Democratic Party of Korea’s Health and Medical Care Special Committee who has practical experience as an insurance reimbursement director at the National Health Insurance Service and president of the Korea Public Tissue Bank, was also actively involved in Lee’s presidential campaign.

 

Kang, who is a doctor by profession, ran for office in the 22nd general election in the Gangnam district of Seoul.

 

Among the current members of the National Assembly, In-soon Nam, a four-term Democratic Party lawmaker; Hyun-hee Jeon, a three-term lawmaker; and Yoon Kim, a first-term lawmaker and medical doctor, have been mentioned as potential candidates for Minister of Health and Welfare.

 

Nam served as the head of the functional headquarters in Lee Jae-myung’s presidential campaign, Jeon as a co-chair of the campaign committee, and Kim as the deputy head of the policy headquarters, all contributing significantly to the campaign’s victory.

 

Hyun-young Shin, a former lawmaker who was elected as the Democratic Party of Korea’s No.1 proportional representative in the 21st National Assembly, is also being mentioned as a potential candidate.

 

Shin, a former doctor who served on the NA Health and Welfare Committee, served as the spokesperson for the General Election Headquarters during the presidential election.