President Lee Jae Myung has promoted Ha Joon-kyung, previously the presidential senior secretary for economic growth, to become chief of staff for policy. The appointment fills a post that had been vacant for about a month after the previous policy chief stepped down, while Moon Shin-hak, a vice minister at the industry ministry, was named the new senior secretary for economic growth.
The choice of an internal economic aide points to continuity in the administration’s growth and industrial-policy agenda. Ha has been involved in the government’s economic strategy since its launch, and the presidential office said he will now coordinate a broader policy portfolio rather than focus only on growth.
The role now reaches beyond economic growth
That broader brief includes housing, jobs, welfare, education and household finance. The policy chief’s role is to connect ministries and align those areas with the president’s overall agenda, so the appointment moves Ha from designing economic policy into a position responsible for balancing economic and social priorities across the government.
Lee also told senior aides that greater attention should now be paid to social-policy issues as the economic situation stabilizes. Ha said he intends to coordinate economic, social and science-and-technology policy, while Moon is expected to focus on industrial strategy and major growth projects from the economic-growth post.
The significance of the reshuffle will depend on execution rather than personnel alone. Housing, employment and household-finance measures will show how quickly the policy office translates its expanded remit into visible changes, while Moon’s handling of industrial projects will indicate how the administration divides coordination and implementation between the two posts.