President Lee Jae-myung announced the ministerial candidates on the 23rd, and the inclusion of many individuals from corporations has drawn attention. This appointment is evaluated as demonstrating the pragmatism that President Lee emphasized. It is expected that those from corporations will provide effective alternatives in collaboration with corporations, deregulation, and industrial policy based on their field experience.
The notable group among the ministerial candidates announced is SK, LG, and NAVER. Bae Gyeong-hun, the candidate for Minister of Science and ICT, is regarded as a surprise pick. Born in 1976, Bae graduated from the Department of Electronic Engineering at Kwangwoon University and earned his master’s and doctorate degrees from the same university. He has served as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology, Future Technology Center of SK Telecom, and as the head of the LG AI Research Center.
He led the development of the super-large AI “EXAONE” developed by the LG AI Research Center. He was also responsible for the establishment of LG Group’s mid-to-long-term AI strategy, discovery of AI business models, and creating synergies between subsidiaries.
Bae’s appointment reflects the government’s commitment to nurturing the AI industry as necessary for securing AI technological sovereignty and economic growth. Bae has argued that developing independent AI models is urgent. The government is also promoting the development of the “independent AI foundation model project.”
Bae attended the launch ceremony for the Ulsan AI Data Center being established by SK Group in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) on the 20th. The ceremony marked President Lee’s first regional official schedule since taking office.
Former Blue House senior policy secretary Yoon Chang-ryeol, who will become the first head of the government’s Office for Government Policy Coordination, is a former public servant, but his last position was at LG Group. Yoon graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in diplomacy and passed the 34th Administrative Service Examination, spending 30 years in public service. Since 2023, he has worked as the head of the LG Global Strategy Center.
The LG Global Strategy Center is a global public relations organization tasked with comprehensively addressing supply chain issues such as the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the European Union’s Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA). Corporate strategy experience has been recognized as countries tightened their protectionist stance, particularly under the U.S. Trump administration.
Former NAVER CEO Han Seong-suk has been nominated as the candidate for Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises and Startups. She previously worked as a reporter for Monthly PC Line, head of the search business division at Empas, and as the executive vice president overseeing services at NAVER, where she served as CEO from 2017 until March 2022.
Han’s appointment is analyzed as being due to NAVER’s significant influence on policies affecting small and medium enterprises and small businesses as a platform corporation. In the past, the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises and Startups created a research and development (R&D) collaboration fund worth 10 billion won with NAVER to support small businesses. They have also consistently carried out collaborative projects for small businesses, including traditional markets.
Appointed on the 17th, the chief AI officer Ha Jung-woo also hails from NAVER. Ha earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees from Seoul National University in computer engineering and has held positions as the head of NAVER AI Lab and head of the NAVER Cloud AI Innovation Center. He is recognized for overseeing the development of NAVER’s large language model “Hyperclova X” and is regarded as a practical expert with solid theoretical, practical, and policy knowledge.
Some corporations seem to be perplexed. One industry source noted, “There is a possibility of being excessively swayed by the government’s policy direction, and I am concerned that a corporate image of the Democratic Party government may arise.”