By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
Yu In-chon, the culture, sports and tourism minister, is set to become the longest-serving minister on Feb. 14.
Actor-turned-minister Yu will break the longest serving record (one year, 11 months and 14 days) set by former minister Lee O-young who held the post from Jan. 3, 1990 to Dec. 19, 1991. Lee was the nation's first culture minister when the ministry was launched in 1990.
Since his inauguration on Feb. 29 in 2008, Yu has been appreciated as a "field-oriented" minister as he has been active in visiting various regions to encourage artists and promote cultural policies.
But he has also drawn criticism for making reckless remarks and pressuring heads of state-funded organizations appointed during the presidency of his predecessor, Roh Moo-hyun, to voluntarily leave their seats before trying to fill them with his aides in his early days of the post.
"I will work hard. This year, the ministry will bear fruit in the culture and art fields," Yu told the Yonhap News Agency.
Yu, one of the influential culture and entertainment industry figures, who helped Lee Myung-bak during his presidential campaign, is the third celebrity-turned-minister after actor-turned-minister Kim Myong-gon and director-turned-minister Lee Chang-dong.