Ministerial nominations after withdrawals

[Anchor]

President Lee has appointed Choi Kyo-jin, the Superintendent of Education in Sejong City, as the candidate for the vacant Minister of Education position following the withdrawal of a previous nominee.

For the Minister of Gender Equality and Family, lawyer Won Min-kyong from Lawyers for a Democratic Society has been selected.

The appointments also include four ministerial-level positions such as the Chairperson of the Fair Trade Commission and the Chairperson of the Financial Services Commission, as well as several vice-ministerial positions.

Reporter Bang Jun-won has the details.

[Report]

President Lee Jae Myung has completed the nomination of ministerial candidates following the withdrawal of candidates due to allegations of 'thesis plagiarism' and 'abuse of power to aides.'

Choi Kyo-jin, the Superintendent of Education in Sejong Special Self-Governing City, has been appointed as the candidate for Minister of Education.

His over 40 years of rich field experience, from middle school teacher to superintendent, was cited as the background for his selection.

[Kang Hoon-sik/Chief of Staff to the President: "Based on his extensive experience covering elementary, middle, high school, and higher education, he will fulfill the President's promise to create 10 Seoul National Universities."]

For the Minister of Gender Equality and Family, lawyer Won Min-kyong, a non-standing member of the National Human Rights Commission, has been appointed.

[Kang Hoon-sik/Chief of Staff to the President: "In line with the President's commitment to gender equality, we will create a gender-equal Republic of Korea through integration and inclusion."]

Professor Ju Biung-ghi from the Department of Economics at Seoul National University has been nominated as the candidate for Chairperson of the Fair Trade Commission, while Lee Eog-weon, former First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, has been nominated as the candidate for Chairperson of the Financial Services Commission.

The appointments for the national education commission chairperson and the chairperson of Presidential Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Policy have also been completed.

The Presidential Office explained that the verification process has been strengthened following the withdrawal of candidates.

[Kang Hoon-sik/Chief of Staff to the President: "The more verification we conduct, the more it is being strengthened. We are thoroughly reviewing the submissions as well."]

In addition, President Lee has also made appointments for 10 vice-ministerial positions, including the Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Commissioner of the Public Procurement Service, and the Commissioner of Statistics Korea, with a noticeable trend of internal selections within the organization.

This is KBS News, Bang Jun-won.