In May of this year, Yoon Ho-jung is the General Head of the Central Election Countermeasure Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea. /Courtesy of News1

President Lee Jae-myung nominated Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Yoon Ho-joong as the first Minister of the Interior and Safety in the new government on the 29th.

Yoon, a five-term lawmaker, is considered a leading figure in the party and a prominent strategist. There are comments suggesting he is the right person for the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, which is faced with numerous challenges including the abolition of the Police Agency and the establishment of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency.

Yoon was born in Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province, and engaged in democratization movements during his studies at Seoul National University. He was identified as a key perpetrator in the Seoul National University spy incident along with Yu Si-min, chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation, and received a prison sentence, but was later granted restoration of honor.

He entered politics in 1988 as a secretary for the Planning and Coordination Office of the Peace Democratic Party and served as a deputy spokesperson for the New Politics National Council, founded by former President Kim Dae-jung, in 1995.

Afterward, he served as the director of the Policy Planning Office in the Presidential Secretary's Office during the Kim Dae-jung administration and entered the National Assembly after being elected as a member of the United Democratic Party in the 2004 17th General Election. He subsequently served as the party spokesperson and chair of the strategy planning committee.

In the 18th General Election, he lost to then-Hannara Party candidate Joo Kwang-deok, but was successful in his comeback during the 19th General Election. After being elected in the 20th General Election, he was appointed as the head of the policy headquarters for the campaign for President Moon Jae-in in the 19th presidential election.

During the Moon Jae-in administration, he served as the chair of the National Policy Advisory Committee and acted as the party's secretary-general under Representative Lee Hae-chan. He later led the nomination system as the head of the party's election planning team and vice-chair of the Nomination Management Committee, leading to a decisive victory for the Democratic Party in the 21st General Election.

In the 21st National Assembly, he was elected as the chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, which had been a major issue between the ruling and opposition parties due to his background as a non-legal professional. He has also taken the lead in legislative reforms promoted by the ruling party, such as the amendment to the CIO Act, and has held positions as the floor leader of the Democratic Party and chair of the emergency response committee. He became a five-term lawmaker after winning re-election in the 22nd National Assembly held in 2024.

The presidential office remarked about Yoon, stating, "He is a policy expert who believes that the happiness of the people is the measure of democracy," adding that he would aim to ensure the values of the conservative bureaucracy while pragmatically transforming the system and creating a collaborative framework between the central and local governments through broad communication.

▲ Born in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province (62) ▲ Chuncheon High School ▲ Seoul National University, Humanities Department, Philosophy ▲ Deputy spokesperson for the New Politics National Council ▲ Secretary-general of the Democratic United Party ▲ Secretary for the Strategy and Finance Committee of the 19th National Assembly ▲ Chair of the Democratic Party of Korea's Policy Committee ▲ Policy headquarters manager for President Moon Jae-in's campaign in the 19th presidential election ▲ Secretary for the Special Committee on Budget & Accounts of the 20th National Assembly ▲ Head of the Democratic Party's election planning team ▲ Chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the 21st National Assembly ▲ Floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea ▲ Chair of the Democratic Party of Korea's emergency response committee.