President Lee Jae-myung appointed former Minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination Koo Yun-cheol as deputy prime minister and nominee for Minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance on the 29th.
Koo, who served as the head of the National Security Office in the presidential office during the Roh Moo-hyun administration, became the head of the budget office and the second vice minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance during the Moon Jae-in administration, and is expected to rise to the position of deputy prime minister and minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance in the Lee Jae-myung government. He has been appointed to key positions in three progressive government terms.
Although Koo is known as an expert in the budget field, having spent a significant part of his public service career in budget-related areas, he is also regarded as adept in various fields, including policy coordination.
Since completing his public service, he has published books related to innovation and artificial intelligence (AI), such as 'Revolution Korea' and 'AI Korea,' studying the future of the Korean economy and presenting visions.
Koo graduated from Daegu Youngshin High School and the Department of Economics at Seoul National University, and earned a master's degree in public policy from the University of Wisconsin in the United States and a Ph.D. in business administration from Chungang University. He entered public service through the 32nd National Public Service Exam and worked in the Budget System Division of the Ministry of Finance and Economy, and the Fiscal Policy Division of the Ministry of Planning and Budget. He served as the personnel secretary at the Presidential Office and the head of the National Security Office during the Roh Moo-hyun administration.
During the Lee Myung-bak administration, he stayed abroad as a senior advisor at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Later, during the Park Geun-hye administration, he held positions as the fiscal performance director of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, director of policy coordination, and social budget review officer.
In the Moon Jae-in administration, he served as head of the budget office and second vice minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and then as the Minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination. As head of the budget office, he oversaw the preparation of the 2019 'super budget,' and as second vice minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, he led the formation of a supplementary budget for COVID-19 response along with the main budget.
Although he has handled budget work for most of his public service career, he has also been proven capable in personnel and policy coordination through his roles as personnel secretary, head of the National Security Office, and Minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination.
Within the Ministry of Economy and Finance, he has received positive evaluations for his innovative leadership, known for finding new ideas and excelling in work processing. He has been selected as the 'ideal boss' by the Ministry of Economy and Finance labor union for three consecutive years.
Kang Hoon, the presidential office secretary, noted that Koo is recognized by both himself and others as a policy expert, as shown in his writings such as 'Revolution Korea' and 'AI Korea,' stating, 'He is the right person to find the path for Korea's growth.'
▲Born in 1965 ▲Daegu Youngshin High School ▲Department of Economics at Seoul National University ▲Master's degree in public policy from the University of Wisconsin ▲Ph.D. in business administration from Chungang University ▲32nd National Public Service Exam ▲Worked in the Fiscal Policy Division and Planning Coordination Division of the Ministry of Planning and Budget ▲Senior advisor at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) ▲Director of policy coordination at the Ministry of Economy and Finance ▲Head of the budget office at the Ministry of Economy and Finance ▲Second vice minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance ▲Minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination ▲Special professor at the Department of Economics at Seoul National University