Hello, I am Jun Ji-hye, a reporter at The Korea Times. I primarily cover financial authorities and write articles on a wide range of topics related to finance and capital markets. If you have any information to share, feel free to email me at jjh@koreatimes.co.kr, and I will review it carefully. I am committed to always doing my best to communicate with readers through high-quality articles.
Ex-vice transport minister nominated as Incheon airport head
By Jun Ji-hye
Kim Kyung-wook, former vice minister for transport, has been nominated as the ninth president and CEO of Incheon International Airport Corp. (IIAC) to fill the leadership vacuum following the dismissal of the previous CEO in September.
Kim Kyung-wook
By Jun Ji-hye
The airport operator said last week that the decision to nominate Kim for the top post of the state-run company was made during its shareholders' meeting, Jan. 7.
His official appointment requires the recommendation of Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Byeon Chang-heum and the approval of President Moon Jae-in. Industry officials expect these procedures to be completed by as early as the end of the month.
A native of Chungju in North Chungcheong Province, Kim graduated from the department of economics at Seoul National University, and became a civil servant in 1989.
He has since served in multiple key posts at the transport ministry, such as head of the planning and coordination department and the vice minister.
Kim quit as the vice transport minister in 2019 to run in the 2020 general election under the ticket of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) for a constituency in his hometown, but he lost.
Once inaugurated as the chief of the airport operator, he will face a pile of pending tasks, including execution of the IIAC's controversial decision made last year to change the status of 1,902 subcontracted and part-time security officers at the airport to regular workers.
Other tasks include a rapid fall in the number of passengers using the airport and sluggish profits amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.
The top post of the airport operator has remained vacant since former President and CEO Koo Bon-hwan was dismissed in September over allegations of negligence and ethical lapses.
At the time, the transport ministry cited several instances of Koo's misconduct it claims to have found during its inspection, including his alleged abuse of authority over personnel affairs and a bungled typhoon response.
But Koo claimed the ministry had used him as a scapegoat to settle the controversy over the IIAC's decision to give permanent positions to the subcontracted and part-time workers, as the decision drew fierce criticism from young jobseekers and existing full-time workers who claimed it introduced unfairness in the hiring process of the state-run company.