First female director-general seeks to set example at finance ministry

Kim Kyung-hee

By Lee Kyung-min

Kim Kyung-hee, newly appointed Administrative and National Defense Budget Bureau Director General of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, said she will strive to be identified by her exemplary leadership and performance, not by her gender.

“After I was promoted, a lot of media coverage was about me being the first woman to become a senior official at the finance ministry, but I believe there will come a time when a story about someone's promotion will be about work performance, regardless of gender,” she said.

With expertise in international finance, the Yonsei University graduate with a master's in public administration from Harvard has spent most of her career at tax policy-related departments at the finance ministry.

During a phone interview, Kim compared her situation with that of Michael Jackson, the legendary pop icon whose enormous talent was often overshadowed by the focus on his attempts to change his appearance.

“It was a sense of isolation and his attempts to fit in gone to the extreme, or the combination of both, I think,” Kim said.

“It must have been hard for him because he knew he had talent but sometimes [he was judged on] something other than individual merit,” she added.

Kim discussed a time when she “did not want to be seen.” It was when she was an entry-level official at a powerful and influential ministry, arguably full of the brightest group of people in Korea that passed the state-administered public servant exam.

“There were only a handful of women at the time when I started working. I did not want to stand out in any sense of the word. My wardrobe choice was always simple ― dark, monotone colors which goes to show how I tried to avoid drawing attention by looking different.”

But now that “those tough times” have passed, Kim now says it is and should be all about being true to yourself, “I will try to become an exemplary figure for my colleagues.”