SEOUL– President Yoon Suk-yeol’s pick to head the health ministry is recognized for her expertise in the field of medicine. Health Minister nominee Kim Seung-hee served as chief of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2015 and 2016.
Kim, who majored in pharmacy at Seoul National University, began her career as a public health researcher at the health ministry in 1988, and worked in various health and drug-related government agencies for 29 years. She earned her doctorate degree in biochemistry at the University of Notre Dame in the United States.
She joined politics in 2016 after being elected as a proportional representation seat of the predecessor of Yoon’s ruling People Power Party, and served in the parliamentary health and welfare, and gender equality and family committees.
The presidential office praised Kim’s expertise and career experiences, saying she offered various policy recommendations related to public health and the pandemic while serving in parliament.
Kim, if appointed, will become South Korea’s first official to lead the health ministry after serving as the minister of food and drug safety.
Kim needs to go through a parliamentary confirmation hearing, but it is widely seen as a formality, as her formal appointment does not require endorsement from the National Assembly.
In South Korea, the prime minister is the only Cabinet post that requires parliamentary approval.
Source: Yonhap News Agency