Draft:Kim Jung-kwan

Kim Jung-kwan
김정관
Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy
Assuming office TBD
President	Lee Jae-myung
Succeeding	Ahn Duk-geun
Personal details
Born	1968 (age 56–57) Jangseong County, South Jeolla Province, South Korea
Alma mater	Seoul National University (B.A.)  University of Missouri (Ph.D.)
Occupation	Economist, public servant
Known for	President of Doosan Enerbility Former senior official at Ministry of Economy and Finance Former official at Bank of Korea and IBRD
Awards	Special Advisor Award (Bank of Korea)

Kim Jeong-kwan (Korean: 김정관; born 1968) is a South Korean politician who served as the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy. He completed his secondary education at Gwangju Jeil High School and earned a bachelor's degree in Economics from Seoul National University. He later obtained a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Missouri.

Career

Kim was born in 1968 in Jangseong County, South Korea.

Early career

Kim began his public service career after passing the 36th national civil service exam. He held various key positions at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, including Policy Planning Officer and Director General for Comprehensive Policy.

He also served as a senior cooperation finance expert at the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). At the Bank of Korea, he worked as a Policy Planning Officer and later became Head of the International Economic Department. During his tenure, he was recognized for his dedication and received the Special Advisor Award.

In the private sector, Kim served as Director and CEO of the Doosan Business Research Institute. He is currently the president of Doosan Enerbility.

Kim left public service in 2018 to join the Doosan Group, where he served as head of the Doosan Business Research Institute. He was also responsible for marketing at Doosan Enerbility, a core subsidiary of Doosan Group formerly known as Doosan Heavy Industries. He currently serves as the president of Doosan Enerbility.

Minister of Trade

In June 2025, President Lee Jae-myung nominated Kim Jeong-kwan, then head of Doosan Enerbility, as the candidate for Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy. The presidential office described him as "a key talent with economic bureaucratic capabilities and experience in the real economy," noting that he is "a candidate with expertise in industrial policy in general and also possesses execution capabilities."

When asked whether Kim's nomination was related to the administration’s nuclear policy, the presidential office clarified that "Kim's nomination is not related to nuclear power plants or the direction of energy policy," but emphasized that he would "effectively implement President Lee's 'energy mix philosophy'."

As nominee for Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, Kim stated, "Industry and energy are inseparable," and pledged to ensure that "industry, trade, and energy can cooperate organically." Emphasizing the importance of innovation, he remarked, "As we prepare for the era of artificial intelligence (AI), if the brain is the semiconductor and data center, the heart is energy. Just as the heart and brain cannot be separated, I will do my best to ensure integration."

On the subject of U.S.–Korea tariff negotiations, Kim shared that his first role in government was in the Industrial Tariff Division. He acknowledged, "I am not currently well informed about the specifics, but I will prepare to the best of my ability from the perspective that national interests are paramount," adding that he would work closely with Yeo Han-koo, head of the Trade Negotiation Headquarters.

Regarding the possibility of reaching an agreement before the United States imposes new tariffs on July 9, he stated, "There is still insufficient information to answer that," but affirmed his intention to prioritize the interests of Korean corporations and the nation.