President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday nominated two-term Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Lee So-young as minister of SMEs and startups, ending a 61-day vacancy at the post that began when Han Seong-sook departed to become prime minister.

Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik said Lee, 41, has built policy experience in startup support, small-business protection and innovation-led growth. Before taking office, she must undergo a National Assembly confirmation hearing. In Korea, ministers are appointed by the president but customarily face legislative confirmation hearings, a procedural step that has drawn public scrutiny in past nominations.

Lee began her career as a lawyer at Kim & Chang and later entered politics as a climate and energy policy specialist. She won her first parliamentary seat in 2020. During Lee Jae Myung's 2022 presidential campaign, she served as a campaign spokesperson and accompanied him at rallies across the country.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, Lee noted that SMEs and startups account for 999 out of every 1,000 Korean businesses and employ eight in 10 workers. The ministry she has been nominated to lead oversees policies on venture firms, small merchants and startup support, areas the government has emphasized alongside its broader push on artificial intelligence and innovation-driven growth.

"If given the opportunity, I will work to build an environment that embraces innovation and allows people's creativity and ideas to drive real change," she wrote.

The nomination is part of a broader Cabinet reshuffle carried out by President Lee on Sunday, in which he nominated new ministers to six key portfolios and overhauled his administration's leadership on artificial intelligence and megaprojects. What to watch next is her confirmation hearing in the National Assembly, where lawmakers may question her policy plans for small businesses and the startup ecosystem.

Source: Korea Herald Business