Yoo Sang-im Named as Science Minister Nominee

2024.07.19. The Fair Economy — President Yoon Suk-yeol nominated Yoo Sang-im, a professor in the Department of Materials Engineering at Seoul National University, as the new Minister of Science and ICT on the 18th.

Presidential Chief of Staff Jung Jin-seok said in a briefing today that Yoo Sang-im, the newly nominated Minister of Science and ICT, is "the right person to lead Korea's science and technology policy in the era of advanced technology transformation, based on his long research experience and expertise in the field of science and technology, including R&D system innovation."

Born in 1959, Yoo Sang-im hails from Yeongwol County, Gangwon Province. He graduated from Seoul National University's Department of Materials Engineering and earned a master's degree from the same university. He later served as a postdoctoral researcher (Post-Doc) at NASA's Ames Research Center, a senior researcher at the Japan Railway Technical Research Institute (RTRI), president of the Korean Society for Superconductivity and Cryogenics, and president of the Korean Ceramic Society, among other roles.

The presidential office had previously considered former lawmaker Park Seong-jung as a candidate, but after some pointed out that the former lawmaker lacked expertise in science and ICT, it is reported that they chose Yoo Sang-im as the nominee.

Yoo Sang-im is also the older brother of lawmaker Yoo Sang-beom and actor Yoo O-seong.