Land chief nominee led Yoon campaign's charge against rival's development scandal

Land Minister nominee Won Hee-ryong

Ex-Jeju Gov. Won Hee-ryong, who was nominated to be President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's first land minister, gained the spotlight by leading the Yoon campaign's offense against the development scandal linked to the candidate's main rival during the election.

Born on Jeju Island in 1964, Won, who entered politics after a brief stint as a prosecutor from 1995 to 1998, won a National Assembly seat in 2000 for the then named main conservative Grand National Party and served two successive terms.

A reformist in the party, Wona later ran in the party's presidential primary in 2007 and finished third. He later studied at the University of Cambridge in Britain and China's Peking University as a visiting researcher.

He rejoined politics by winning the Jeju Island gubernatorial race in 2014 and was also successfully reelected in 2018. After finishing fourth in the main opposition People Power Party's presidential primary last year, he joined Yoon's campaign as head of policy.

During the election, Won received recognition for leading the Yoon campaign's offense against the scandal surrounding an apartment complex development project in Daejang-dong of Seongnam, south of Seoul, in which Lee Jae-myung, then presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, was accused of being involved.

After the election, Won joined the transition committee as its planning committee chief. He is considered well-versed in the president-elect's policies and vision on easing various real estate-related regulations introduced during the Moon Jae-in administration.

Won said his priority as the land minister nominee was to "stabilize housing conditions for low-income people and the middle class" and work toward allowing the young generation, who have “lost their dreams,” to dream again for a better future. (Yonhap)