Lee In-sil named new patent office chief

By Jung Min-ho

Lee In-sil

Another woman has been appointed to lead a key government office as President Yoon Suk-yeol appears to be coping with criticism that his administration is too male-dominated.

The presidential office said Sunday that Lee In-sil will be the next commissioner of the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), a government agency responsible for administering intellectual property rights including patents, utility models and designs.

Lee, chief of Korea Women Investors Association, has worked in the field for more than 30 years after becoming only the third female patent agent in the country.

“Not only has she worked to protect the national interest in the battlefield of the international patent war, she has helped other women engage in economic activities by supporting them through various organizations over the past 20 years,” the office said in a statement.

KIPO added that she has been an inspiration for women seeking to make their marks in many male-dominated career fields.

Just three days earlier, in a surprising announcement, Yoon said women will lead two Cabinet ministries and the agency responsible for food and drug safety. He nominated Park Soon-ae for minister of education, Kim Seung-hee for minister of health and welfare and Oh Yu-kyoung for minister of food and drug safety.

The decisions are seen as his swift response to criticisms of the lack of gender diversity in his Cabinet. During a May 21 press conference after his summit with U.S. President Joe Biden, Yoon promised to give more opportunities to women when asked about gender inequality.

So far, five of the Yoon administration's 18 Cabinet members, if their nominations are finalized, will be women.

After being elected, Yoon pledged not to select people for his government based on gender but on merit, in an apparent criticism aimed at the previous Moon Jae-in administration.