By Berk Kutay Gokmen
ISTANBUL (AA) - Train operator Kim Young-hoon was selected to head the South Korean Labor Ministry after President Lee Jae Myung unveiled 11 nominees to lead agencies, the Korea Herald reported Tuesday.
The 57-year-old locomotive engineer, who was driving a route between Gimcheon and Busan, is poised to become the first blue-collar worker to lead the Ministry of Employment and Labor.
Five National Assembly members from the ruling Democratic Party and three with backgrounds in major South Korean conglomerates are among the 11 nominees.
Lee’s chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik, said the nominees are assigned major tasks such as diplomacy, military reform, easing inter-Korean tensions and climate change response.
Ahn Gyu-back, a five-term lawmaker, was nominated for defense minister. If confirmed, he would be the first civilian to hold the post since the 1961 military coup.
Chung Dong-young, who served as unification minister under President Roh Moo-hyun, was nominated to return to the role.
Other nominees include former UN Ambassador Cho Hyun for foreign minister, Kim Sung-whan to head the environment agency, Chun Jae-soo for oceans and Kang Sun-woo to lead the Gender Equality Ministry.
Meanwhile, from the private sector, Bae Kyung-hoon of LG AI Research was selected for science minister, former Naver CEO Han Seong-sook was nominated for small- and medium-enterprises and startups, and Yoon Chang-yul from the LG Global Strategy Center was selected for the Office for Government Policy Coordination.
Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryung will stay in her post, and former lawmaker Kwon Oh-eul was nominated to head the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.
Prime minister nominee Kim Min-seok, is on a two-day confirmation hearing that started Tuesday with rival party members criticizing him for scandals surrounding his assets and family.
All other nominees except Song and the policy coordination minister require parliamentary approval, where the Democratic Party holds a majority.
Three Cabinet posts -- finance, justice and interior -- remain vacant, and the status of five ministers from the previous administration is still undecided.