Mr. Kim Young-hoon - the 57-year-old boat driver - said that he had no idea that he was nominated by the Korean government for the position of head of the Ministry of Employment and Labor because when the decision was made on June 23, his phone was not turned on.
Mr. Kim shared that it took him 1 hour to know after the information was spread. At that time, he completed his shift and left the ship.
Born in 1968, this Busan resident graduated from Dong-A University and then majored in political policy at NGO Research College at Sungkonghoe University.
Chief of the South Korean presidential office - Mr. Kang Hoon-sik - said that when appointed as a minister, Mr. Kim will be responsible for strengthening workers' rights by focusing on issues such as industrial accidents, a 4.5 day working week system and the law expanding the scope of legal labor disputes.
However, Mr. Kim will have to go through a confirmation hearing before taking on this role.
If the appointment process goes smoothly, Mr. Kim will be the first unskilled worker to head the Ministry of Employment and Labor.
Many people expect Mr. Kim to bring experiences when leading the Korea Trade Union Federation (KCTU) from 2010 to 2012 as his minister.
