South Korean President Lee Names Conservative Lawmaker as Budget Minister

SEOUL, Dec 28 (Reuters) – ‌South ​Korea’s President ‌Lee Jae Myung has ​appointed Lee Hye-hoon, a conservative ‍politician and former lawmaker ​of the opposition ​United ⁠Future Party, as budget minister, a spokesman at the presidential office said at a briefing on ‌Sunday.

Lee, the newly appointed minister, ​said she ‌aligns with ‍the president’s ⁠goal of both pursing economic growth and improving social welfare, in a statement following the announcement.

President Lee has pushed ​for a major overhaul of ministries, which he views as having too much power, including stripping the finance ministry of its budget planning authority.

Some experts have said that changes to budget planning policies ​may lead to higher national debt under the liberal president.

(Reporting by Heejin Kim ​and Jihoon Lee; Editing by Christopher Cushing)

Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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