Major cabinet reshuffle in South Korea saw the promotion of Lee Hyoung-il to deputy prime minister and minister of economy and finance, the presidency announced in a televised address. The same statement, delivered by presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik, also named Kim Seung-won to lead the Ministry of Justice and appointed Kang Shin-chul as the new defence minister.
Lee Hyoung-il, until now serving as first vice finance minister, is described by the administration as a seasoned technocrat. In his expanded role as deputy prime minister and head of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, he will be responsible for coordinating fiscal and economic policy across government departments and representing the administration on economic matters domestically and abroad.
Kim Seung-won moves from the ruling party to the helm of the justice portfolio, where the ministry oversees legal policy, prosecution matters and judicial administration. The defence appointment of Kang Shin-chul, a former deputy commander of the South Korea–U.S. Combined Forces Command, places a senior military figure in charge of national defence; his background links directly to the longstanding security relationship between South Korea and the United States and to operational coordination on the peninsula.
Kang Hoon-sik presented the changes as part of an administrative reorganisation intended to align ministerial leadership with current policy priorities. The new ministers were named in the presidential announcement and will assume their duties as specified by the office. Observers will be watching how the new team addresses immediate economic management, legal reforms and defence planning amid ongoing regional and domestic policy challenges.
