On the 13th, President Lee Jae-myung appointed Koo Hyuk-chae as the Deputy Minister for Planning and Coordination at the Ministry of Science and ICT, Kang Hee-eob as the Vice Minister at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and Choi Eun-ok as the Vice Minister of Education, who previously served as the director of higher education policy at the Ministry of Education. He also appointed Cho Won-cheol, a lawyer who defended the president in the "Daejang-dong development corruption case," as the head of the Legislation Office, among other appointments involving 12 officials at the Vice Minister level.

From the left are Gu Hyeok-chae, the new Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, Kang Hee-eop, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Noh Yong-seok, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and Jo Won-cheol, the head of the Legislation Agency./Courtesy of the Presidential Office

Kang Yoo-jeong, the spokesperson for the President's Office, announced these appointments during an afternoon briefing. Noh Yong-seok was appointed as the Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises and Startups, Park In-kyu was appointed as the Vice Administrator of the Science and Technology Innovation Agency, Choi Eun-ok was appointed as the Vice Minister of Education, and Kang Yoon-jin was named as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs.

Lee Myung-gu was appointed as the Commissioner of the Korea Customs Service; Heo Min, a professor at Jeonnam National University's Department of Earth Environmental Sciences, was appointed as the Administrator of the Korea Heritage Service; and Hong So-young, the Director of the Daejeon-Chungnam Regional Military Manpower Administration, was appointed as the Commissioner of the Military Manpower Administration. This marks the first time a woman has been appointed as the Commissioner of the Military Manpower Administration since its establishment in 1970. Additionally, Lim Seung-kwan was appointed as the head of the Central Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Agency, and Kang Ju-yeop was appointed as the Administrator of the Happy Center Integrated City Construction Agency.

The President's Office, while announcing the appointment of Cho as the head of the Legislation Office, explained that he is "a highly regarded official with 26 years of experience as a judge and lawyer, reflecting the president's commitment to creating an 'action-oriented government' based on a high understanding of the law." This came in response to concerns about the frequent appointment of the president's legal representatives in cases involving President Lee Jae-myung.

Currently, Lee Jae-myung's Daejang-dong lawyer, Lee Tae-hyung, and administrative officer Cho Sang-ho are working in the Chief of Civil Affairs Office of the President's Office. Additionally, Jeon Chi-young, who was in charge of the Election Act violation case involving the president, and Lee Jang-hyung, a legal secretary involved in the Ssangbangwool North Korean remittance case, are also serving as aides.

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