Kwon Deok-cheol (Korean: 권덕철, born 22 March 1961[1]) is a South Korean government official served as the Minister of Health and Welfare under President Moon Jae-in from 2020 to 2022. He previously served as the deputy head of the ministry from 2017 to 2019.
Kwon Deok-cheol | |
|---|---|
권덕철 | |
 Kwon Deok-cheol in 2020 | |
| Minister of Health and Welfare | |
| In office 24 December 2020 – 25 May 2022 | |
| President | Moon Jae-in |
| Preceded by | Park Neung-hoo |
| Succeeded by | Cho Kyoo-hong |
| Vice Minister of Health and Welfare | |
| In office 7 June 2017 – 23 May 2019 | |
| President | Moon Jae-in |
| Minister | Park Neung-hoo |
| Preceded by | Bang Moon-kyu |
| Succeeded by | Kim Ganglip |
| Director of the Korea Health Industry Development Institute | |
| In office 19 September 2019 – 16 December 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Lee Young-chan |
| Succeeded by | Vacant |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 March 1961 Namwon, North Jeolla, South Korea |
| Political party | Independent |
| Alma mater | Sungkyunkwan University German University of Administrative Sciences, Speyer |
| Occupation | Government official |
Early life and education
editKwon was born in Namwon, North Jeolla in 1961.[2][3][4] After being graduated from Jeolla High School in 1979,[1] he attended Sungkyunkwan University to take Bachelor in Public Administration.[2][3][4][1] He then flew to Germany and studied at German University of Administrative Sciences, Speyer, where he obtained a master's degree and a doctorate in public administration.[2][3][4][1]
Career
editAfter being qualified for the Public Administration Examination in 1987,[5] he started his career as the Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Society in 1989, then the Ministry of Health and Welfare.[1] He served several positions within the ministry, such as the Director-General for Planning and Budget, Director-General for Financial Planning, Director General for Childcare Policy, Director General for Welfare Policy, Director of Health and Medical Policy, Assistant Minister for Planning and Coordination, and Deputy Minister.[2][3][4][1]
In 2013, the Korea Medical Association led strikes against the then Park Geun-hye government's healthcare privatisation and telemedicine.[2] Kwon led a negotiation with the trade union to stop the strikes.[2] During the MERS outbreak in 2015, he was the Director of Health and Medical Policy and therefore was in charge of curbing the outbreak,[2][3][4][1] along with Jeong Eun-kyeong.[3]
On 6 June 2017, Kwon was appointed the Vice Minister of Health and Welfare by the President Moon Jae-in.[6][7] As the Vice Minister, he was in charge of fulfilling Moon's healthcare policies, known as "Moon Jae-in Care".[4] His term was ended on 23 May 2019, approximately 23 months after the appointment.[8] This made him as the longest-serving person to hold the position.[8] On 19 September, he was appointed the Director of the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI).[9]
On 4 December 2020, Kwon was nominated the new Minister of Health and Welfare, replacing the incumbent Park Neung-hoo.[2][3][4] Therefore, his tenure as the Director of the KHIDI was ended on 16 December.[10][11] He was officially appointed to the position on 24 December.[1][12]
Controversy
editOn 20 December 2020, 4 days before his appointment, a KHIDI report submitted to a People Power MP Jo Myung-hee revealed that Kwon was in the United Arab Emirates on a business trip from 25 to 29 October.[13][14] As he had already returned to South Korea in the afternoon of 29 October, he was supposed to fulfill a 2-week self-quarantine until the noon of 12 November.[13][14] However, he had joined the Healthcare Innovation Forum 2020 that was held at The Westin Chosun Seoul from 9am on 12 November, just few hours before his quarantine ended.[13][14] The report has also revealed that he was wearing a face mask at the official meeting, but not while talking with others and taking photos.[13][14] Jo, who had received the report, criticised his action, but he replied that he was exempted from the quarantine due to diplomatic reasons.[13][14] He also gave a feedback that he was already tested negative for the COVID-19 before the exemption.[13][14]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h 문 대통령, 권덕철 보건복지부장관 임명 재가. 24 December 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h [프로필] 권덕철 복지부 장관 내정자... 30년 보건복지 '정책통'. 4 December 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g [프로필]권덕철 복지부장관 내정자…메르스 방역 담당 경험. 4 December 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g [프로필] 권덕철 보건복지부 장관 내정자…"소통능력 강점". 4 December 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ 행정고시 합격자1백48명을 발표. 28 November 1987. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ 새정부 첫 보건복지부 권덕철 차관 임명 배경은…. 7 June 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ 새 보건복지부 차관에 권덕철 실장 임명. 7 June 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ a b [세종청사에서] 박수받고 떠난 복지부 차관의 마지막 하루. 24 May 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ 권덕철 한국보건산업진흥원장 임명. 19 September 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ 권덕철 한국보건산업진흥원장 퇴임. 17 December 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ 권덕철 한국보건산업진흥원장 퇴임. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ 문 대통령, 전해철·권덕철 장관 임명…업무 바로 시작. 24 December 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f 권덕철, 10월 중동 방문후 격리의무 위반 논란…"격리면제 대상"(종합). 20 December 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f 권덕철 복지부장관 후보자, 자가격리 위반 지적에 "공무상 면제 대상". 20 December 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.