Im Ki-geun Appointed as Minister-Level Policy Coordination Chief... "Return of the Ministry of Strategy and Finance"

Im Ki-geun, a veteran budget official and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Planning and Budget, has been appointed Minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination under South Korea's Lee Jaemyung administration. The appointment breaks a decade-long precedent in which all ministers in the role came from the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, reflecting reported presidential concern that the ministry delayed fiscal preparations before the previous election. The move signals the administration's focus on accelerating policy implementation in its second year.