The first female spokesman in 52 years of the Ministry of Unification… “The role of women in unification is important”

The Ministry of Unification announced that it would appoint Lee Jong-ju (48), head of the Indian Cooperation Bureau as a spokesperson. He is the first female spokesperson to appear 52 years after the Ministry of Unification was founded in 1969.

Lee Jong-joo, new spokesman for the Ministry of Unification [사진 통일부]

On the 7th, the Ministry of Unification explained the reason for the selection, saying, “We boldly appoint women in terms of balance and harmony in personnel management.” Lee’s new spokesperson held major positions in the Ministry of Unification, including unification policy, humanitarian cooperation, exchange and cooperation, inter-Korean talks, and situation analysis. He also worked as a councilor for the US Embassy and an administrator for the National Security Office. When he first introduced the assistant spokesperson system to government ministries in 2009, he received attention as the first female assistant spokesperson. At that time, it was evaluated that it contributed to enhancing public understanding of inter-Korean relations through clear analysis and coherent explanations.

Minister Lee In-young is also in the mood for proactively placing women in the positions of major managers of the headquarters and expecting active and effective communication on issues in inter-Korean relations. Minister Lee said on the day that “as the role of women in the field of unification is becoming very important, we will strive to expand female managers.”

Baek Tae-hyun, who was appointed as the head of the Office of Exchange and Cooperation, was also an expert who served as Director of the Exchange and Cooperation Bureau, spokesperson, and policy planner. Regarding the personnel, the Ministry of Unification explained that “to restore and normalize inter-Korean relations, the focus was on arranging talented people with expertise in each field in the right place.”

In addition, Chang-Hyun Kim, Head of the Inter-Korean Talks Headquarters, Director of Exchange and Cooperation Office at the Planning and Coordination Office, Chu Seok-Yong, Director of Education and Cooperation at the Unification Education Center at the Planning and Coordination Office, Director of Education and Cooperation at the Unification Education Center, Park Chul as the Director of India Cooperation Bureau, Director of the Inter-Korean Cooperation Committee of the Kaesong Industrial Complex, Joon-hee Jung, Head of the Inter-Korean Cooperation District Development Planning Group, Director Park Hyung-il was appointed as the head of the talks operation department at the conference headquarters.

Reporter Jeong Young-gyo [email protected]