Amid the looming appointment of Kim Min-seok to prime minister, public interest is growing in who will be candidates for key cabinet ministries that have yet to find their leaders.

Officials at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, where the leading candidate, Jeong Eun-kyeong, former commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), is reportedly firm in her intention not to take up the ministerial post, are redirecting their attention to other candidates.

Former KDCA Commissioner Jeong was recognized as the first health and welfare minister in the Lee Jae Myung administration, as she joined Lee's campaign during the presidential election. However, after Lee's victory, Jeong reportedly announced her intention to return to school.

Based on the stories of people who worked with Jeong at KDCA and other organizations, it is known that Jeong has no intention of becoming the minister, a ministry official said. “There are many theories about the reason for her refusal, but it seems that Jeong does not think she is the right person to be the minister of health and welfare.”

While Jeong, who was the most likely candidate to become the first health and welfare minister under President Lee, has gradually distanced herself from the candidacy, various other figures, including former vice ministers of welfare, politicians, and doctors, have been rumored to be on the candidate list.

Among former vice ministers of health and welfare, Kim Kang-lip and Yang Seong-il are frontrunners. These former vice ministers are said to have the organizational savvy needed to mend fences within the health and welfare ministry, which has been bruised by the government-doctor conflict over the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's push to increase the number of medical school students by 2,000.

A sense of frustration and self-doubt is reportedly gripping the ministry because it did not play a leading role in the medical school enrollment quota increase issue and the consequent government-doctor conflict and was forced to “follow instructions from above,” which has significantly eroded its organizational morale. This perception is especially prevalent among younger bureaucrats, according to ministry insiders.

Former Vice Minister Kim, who graduated from Yonsei University's Sociology Department, held various positions in the ministry, including director of the Insurance Reimbursement Division, the Healthcare Policy Division, director-general of the Health Industry Policy Bureau, Healthcare Policy Officer, assistant minister for the Office for Healthcare Policy, and assistant minister for the Office of Planning and Coordination. He served as the first vice minister during Covid-19. However, he left the ministry two months after his appointment as the vice minister to head the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

Kim is recognized for his abilities both within and outside the ministry and is known for communicating effectively with both the medical community and the National Assembly. However, there are some speculations that he may have withdrawn from the ministerial candidacy, as he recently left his alma mater, Yonsei University, to join the law firm Kim & Chang.

Yang was appointed as the first vice minister under the Moon Jae-in administration in 2020 and served in a key position during the initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A graduate of Seoul National University's Department of Social Welfare, he served as head of the Health Industry Policy Team, director of the Personnel Department, International Cooperation Officer, head of the Advanced Medical Complex Project Corps, spokesperson, director-general of the Health Policy Bureau, the Health Industry Policy Bureau, assistant minister for the Office for Social Welfare Policy and the Office for Planning and Coordination.

In the presidential election, he supported candidate Lee in various positions in his campaign committee, including chairperson of the Pharmaceutical Biohealth Committee of the Economic Growth Committee and vice chairperson of the Healthcare Committee of the Meoksanism Committee.

Yang's experience in overseeing policies for the elderly, the disabled, and healthcare within the ministry is seen as a strength. He is considered the right person to lead the government's efforts to streamline the welfare delivery system and address the needs of the aging population.

While many names from the political sphere have been mentioned, Rep. Jeon Hyun-hee of the Democratic Party of Korea is the most frequently mentioned. In addition to the weight of being a three-term lawmaker and former chairperson of the Moon Jae-in administration's Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC), it is said that her strong showing as the first chairperson of the ACRC under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration could be a plus.

Additionally, Jeon’s background as a dentist-turned-lawyer provides her with a solid understanding of the healthcare industry. She is said to be able to balance the government and the medical community in resolving future political conflicts. She also served as the co-chairman of Lee's campaign during the last presidential election.

Given that many politicians are already among the ministerial candidates nominated, the prospect of a politician being nominated for the health and welfare portfolio is likely to be high. There are also expectations for a minister with a strong political background within the ministry.

Among doctors, Jeong Il-yong, the former head of the Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center, is being discussed as a surprise candidate. After graduating from Hanyang University College of Medicine, Jeong became a specialist as a surgeon and practiced at the Yeoncheon County Health Center.

He later served as the director of Wonjin Green Hospital in Guri. After taking office as the seventh director of Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center in 2018, he went on to serve as its eighth director, working to expand public healthcare. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he played a frontline role in public healthcare, including designating six hospitals under the Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center as specialized infectious disease hospitals, providing 800 beds.

Chung is the only medical director appointed by President Lee Jae Myung when he was the governor of Gyeonggi Province. His story of promoting public healthcare policies in concert with Lee, such as the installation of CCTVs in the operating rooms of public hospitals —a pledge made by Lee at the time —has been introduced to all hospitals under the Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center.