Minister Lee takes care of the details by himself.
Named policies such as the “talent ladder” and
proposed the contract quota policy to the ministry of education.

Jong-Ho Lee, the minister of ICT, is currently put in the spotlight because of his witty naming senses. Instead of merely planning the overarching direction, the minister is also participating in naming the policies and thinking of ideas for slogans. They say that he is breaking the stereotype of ministers that had a career being a professor merely being figureheads.

According to a report from the Ministry of ICT on the 16^th, the “Talent Tree” policy from the “Digital Talent Development Plan”, which was announced by the government last month, was planned by the minister. It is the center of the policy to enable talents in digital technology to obtain diverse education opportunities through vitalizing interactivities between projects funded by the government.

Minster Lee proposed detailed plans and names for them during the ministry’s meetings. Communicating with his students that came from diverse backgrounds while he was a professor at the department of electrical and computer engineering at SNU built the foundation that enabled him to do so. He realized that “even the engineering talents of the highest caliber differ from one another in terms of their abilities in different fields”. He advised freshmen to “sign up for diverse courses, as this will enable them to find their own talents by assessing the courses that they excelled in.” The “Talent Tree” policy follows from the same logic. By allowing talents in digital technology to be exposed to various projects funded by the government, they are effectively given “ladders” that will enable them to develop professional skills.

Minister Lee also planned the “contract quota policy” that would temporarily increase the quota for departments related to semiconductors and other cutting-edge technology. During his time as a professor, there were voices that the quota for majors regarding semiconductors”. However, the fact that this means less quota for other departments made realizing this voice difficult. After entering the office, minister Lee proposed a temporary increase in the quota for those majors, and his proposal was accepted by the Ministry of Education.

Minister Lee, who is also known as the semiconductor teacher of the current president, will visit Silicon Valley this weekend. It is planned for him to meet with Koreans working in Silicon Valley and discuss policies and ideas with them.

Source: https://ee.snu.ac.kr/community/news?bm=v&bbsidx=52979
Translated by: Do-Hyung Kim, English Editor of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, kimdohyung@snu.ac.kr