Lee So-young, nominee for minister of SMEs and startups (Presidential Office) 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 following Han Seong-sook’s departure to become prime minister.Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik said Lee, 41, had built policy experience in startup support, small-business protection and innovation-led growth. She must undergo a National Assembly confirmation hearing before taking office.A former lawyer at Kim & Chang, Lee entered politics as a climate and energy policy specialist and 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 Sunday, Lee said SMEs and startups account for 999 out of every 1,000 Korean businesses and employ eight in 10 workers.“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.
mjh@heraldcorp.com
