Jaewoong Lee, former CEO of Soka. JoongAng Ilbo
On the 20th, Lee Jae-woong, the former CEO of Soka, who founded the portal Daum, said, “70-year-old Prime Minister (Sae-gyun Jeong), 70-year-old presidential secretary office chief (Yoo Young-min), followed by 75-year-old Foreign Minister (Jeong Eui-yong).” They were concerned about the aging of the public office.
In the morning of that day, President Moon reorganized the three ministries. Eui-yong, former head of the National Security Office, was appointed as the candidate for the foreign minister. The Ministry of SMEs and Ventures and the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism have appointed Kwon Chil-seung, Democratic Party lawmakers, and Democratic Party lawmakers Hwang Hee, respectively.
Lee said, “President Moon Jae-in was 54 years old at the time when President Roh Moo-hyun was head of the secretary office of President Roh Moo-hyun, and at the time of appointment, Secretary General Lim Jong-seok, who was the first president of the Moon Jae-in administration, was 51 years old.” Regarding the replacement of Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa and Mid-term Minister Park Young-seon, he regretted that “there were two female ministers replaced by two 86th generation male ministers.”
“Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, 45 years old, was elected in 2006, and Mayor Park Won-soon was elected at the age of 55 in the 2011 by-election. It was a rematch of that person in their late 50s and early 60s, including former Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who was older than his age.”
“I don’t know where it’s wrong, but I want young people to have more opportunities,” Lee said, asking “why our government officials are getting younger and not more diverse.” Of course, it is an important part of the government’s governance that is linked to performance, so I hope we can keep it. It is no longer an era where long experience, accumulated knowledge, or age is important.”
He ended, “I am sad that I am getting older, but I am so sad to think that I will leave the future to people older than me, even to the generation of my parents.”
Reporter Lee Hae-jun [email protected]