Lee So-young officially takes office as SMEs minister, vows to 'break the mold'

Lee So-young officially began her duties as minister of SMEs and Startups on Tuesday after President Lee Jae Myung approved her appointment. The National Assembly's Industry, Trade, Resources, SMEs and Startups Committee adopted her confirmation report that day with the consent of both ruling and opposition parties.

In a Facebook post titled "I begin my duties as minister of SMEs and Startups," Lee said she had spent considerable time reflecting on why she had been nominated and what the public expected of her since her nomination was announced.

"I thought hard about what I should do and how I should work as the head of the ministry responsible for small and medium-sized enterprises, venture companies and small business owners — which, without exaggeration, make up the vast majority of South Korea," she said. "I will find answers to what needs to be done in the field."

Lee said she would not pretend to know things she does not, and pledged to listen diligently to voices from the ground without becoming trapped by specific interests or treating her role as a complaints desk. "I will work with sound judgment, keeping the benefit of the public as a whole as my standard," she said.

On her working style, Lee said she would "work dynamically, breaking the mold and pushing forward when necessary, even if it looks rough around the edges." She added that she wanted to be "a minister who breaks inertia rather than follows it," and would "show the best that someone like me can do."