Lee's inclusive Cabinet: Right idea, wrong people
There is a Korean saying that reminds leaders of the importance of putting the right people in the right positions: “Personnel is everything.” In reality, however, filling key posts with qualified and suitable people seems to be much trickier than it sounds. Previous Korean presidents have repeatedly struggled with this. They have often eroded their own credibility by nominating people whose…
Korean leader Lee Jae Myung's recent Cabinet reshuffle has been widely criticized as a failure. The new minister nominees face significant scrutiny and pressure to resign. Two prominent nominees, Kim Seung-won and Yong Hye-in, are at the center of controversy.
Kim Seung-won, who aspired to become the Justice Minister, is under intense pressure to step down. The allegations against him stem from his alleged lobbying efforts. In October 2021, Kim allegedly approached the food and drug safety administrator to expedite biotech startup Genencell's request for clinical trials of their COVID-19 drug.
Remarkably, the request was approved just two weeks after Kim sent a text message to the administrator. This incident has ignited accusations that Kim may have abused his position for personal gain.
Yong Hye-in, nominated for the Gender Equality Minister position, is also facing serious allegations. The details of her wrongdoing are yet to be fully disclosed, but her position as a Cabinet nominee hangs in the balance due to the mounting pressure surrounding her potential misconduct.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- Lee's inclusive Cabinet: Right idea, wrong people? koreatimes.co.kr
