There is a Korean saying that reminds leaders of the importance of putting the right people in the right positions: “Personnel is everything.” In reality, however, filling key posts with qualified and suitable people seems to be much trickier than it sounds. Previous Korean presidents have repeatedly struggled with this. They have often eroded their own credibility by nominating people whose qualifications or ethics were questionable. President Lee Jae Myung is no exception. His recent Cabinet reshuffle has become a disaster. Of the six nominees, two — Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won and Gender Equality Minister nominee Yong Hye-in — are under mounting pressure to bow out. Kim, a National Assembly legislator of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), is accused of having lobbied the food and drug safety administrator in October 2021 to expedite biotech startup Genencell’s request to conduct clinical trials of its COVID-19 drug. The request was approved two weeks after Kim sent a text message to the administrator. The incident has since prompted allegations that Kim
Lee’s inclusive Cabinet: Right idea, wrong people
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Learn People & History of Korea
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