 |
Photo courtesy of the Financial Services Commission |
[Alpha Biz= Paul Lee] President Lee Jae-myung has carried out an additional round of high-level appointments, naming six new minister-level officials, including the ministers of Education and Gender Equality and Family, as well as the heads of major regulatory bodies such as the Fair Trade Commission and the Financial Services Commission (FSC). The reshuffle also included new chairs for the Presidential National Education Commission and the Special Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries, and Rural Policy.
Announcing the appointments on August 13, Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik noted that the FSC was among the most closely watched positions, as the agency has been cited in government restructuring plans that reportedly propose its dissolution. Despite this, President Lee nominated Lee Eok-won, former special professor of economics at Seoul National University, as FSC chairman.
Lee Eok-won, a veteran economic policymaker, previously served as Secretary for Economic Policy at the Blue House and as First Vice Minister of Economy and Finance under the Moon Jae-in administration. “Based on his experience as an economic bureaucrat, Chairman-nominee Lee will faithfully implement the Lee Jae-myung administration’s financial philosophy—policies that alleviate the burdens of ordinary citizens and promote a healthy capital market,” Kang said.
Kang added that while the FSC remains a potential target for restructuring, “the reform plan has not been finalized, and since the FSC is still operating, nominating its chairman is a natural step.”
Separately, attorney Lee Chan-jin of Jeil Joint Law Offices was unexpectedly named as the new governor of the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), succeeding Lee Bok-hyun. The appointment was approved by the FSC in an interim session the same day.
Lee Chan-jin, a judicial training classmate of President Lee, is a progressive figure who has served as vice president of Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyun) and as chair of the social affairs division of the Presidential National Planning Committee.
Known for his strong stance on financial consumer protection and enhancing the voting rights of pension funds in capital markets, he is expected to place a strong emphasis on protecting retail investors and minority shareholders in future FSS policy.
알파경제 Paul Lee 특파원(hoondork1977@alphabiz.co.kr)
