New state coordination chief Im Ki-geun brings deep expertise in budget, fiscal and policy work

President Lee Jae Myung on Friday appointed Im Ki-geun, vice minister of the Ministry of Planning and Budget, as the new minister-level chief of the Office for Government Policy Coordination. Im is the first cabinet-level appointee from outside the Ministry of Economy and Finance — the predecessor institution to the Planning and Budget Ministry — since the Lee administration took office.

Im is an economic official who built expertise across budget, fiscal and policy coordination work at both the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Planning and Budget. A native of Haenam in South Jeolla Province, he graduated from Songwon High School in Gwangju and Seoul National University with a degree in business administration, then entered public service through the 36th national administrative examination.

At the Ministry of Economy and Finance's budget bureau, Im served as director of the regional budget division, the agriculture and fisheries budget division, the budget policy division and the budget coordination division. After his promotion to director-general level, he oversaw central government budget planning as director-general for budget coordination, having previously served as director-general for administrative and defense budget review and director-general for economic budget review — earning a reputation as a budget specialist.

He handled policy work as director-general for public policy and director-general for policy coordination, and expanded his fiscal expertise as fiscal planning director-general at the fiscal innovation bureau. He also gained experience identifying promising future growth industries and developing growth strategies while working at the innovation and growth headquarters.

In July 2023, he was named fiscal management officer — a vice minister-level post — overseeing fiscal policy and management at the ministry. That December, he took office as commissioner of the Public Procurement Service, another vice minister-level position, drawing notice for supporting corporate innovation and growth through field-oriented procurement administration.

In June last year, he returned to the Ministry of Economy and Finance as second vice minister. When the ministry split into the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Planning and Budget in January, he was appointed vice minister of the Planning and Budget Ministry. He served as acting minister until Minister Park Hong-keun took office in March, and was credited with steadying the organization in its early days.

Im is regarded as a sharp planner with strong drive, and commands wide respect within the bureaucracy. Even as a first-time division director at the ministry, he was voted "the boss I want to emulate" by staff three times, earning a place in the ministry's informal hall of fame.

Key career milestones: born in Haenam, South Jeolla Province (age 57); bachelor's in business administration, Seoul National University; master's in economics, Indiana University; director of regional budget division, Ministry of Economy and Finance; director of agriculture and fisheries budget division; director of budget policy division; director of budget coordination division; fiscal planning director-general; director-general for administrative and defense budget review; director-general for public policy; director-general for policy coordination; director-general for economic budget review; director-general for budget coordination; fiscal management officer; commissioner of the Public Procurement Service; second vice minister, Ministry of Economy and Finance; vice minister, Ministry of Planning and Budget.