Yoon Seong-kyu
took office as the new Minister of Environment.
On March 11, the
Inaugural Ceremony of the 15th Minister of Environment was held after
he received a certificate of appointment from President Park Geun-hye.
In his inaugural
speech, Minister Yoon underscored that not until the environmental challenges
are effectively addressed, we cannot expect environment welfare as well as
sustainable development.
As the first
Minister of Environment under the Park administration, he expressed his
aspiration to build a leading country for economic growth and environmental conservation,
where all Koreans enjoy environment welfare while achieving sustainable
development.
He pledged to
enhance environment welfare, an essential prerequisite for people’s happiness,
to the level of advanced countries, and promote sustainable management of territory
by fitting economy, environment and society together into sustainable development.
Minister also promised
to switch the Korean society into a resource-cycling society and stick to
polluter pays principle to prevent further environmental pollution and
accidents.
Moreover, he
announced to prepare for a unified Korea by building a South-North Korea
Environment Community and actively join in tackling global environmental
challenges such as climate change.
To live up to public’s
expectations to achieve great happiness, economic development and cultural
advancement for all, Minister pledged to establish and implement effective
environmental policies to provide preventive environment welfare, productive
environment welfare and forward-looking environment welfare.
An official from
the Ministry of Environment said that the staffs of MOE have great expectations
for Minister Yoon as he has accumulated expertise in environmental field
throughout his career.
After beginning
civil service career in 1975, he had served for the Ministry of Environment
since 1987, working at departments of water quality, waste and environmental
policy.
He also worked at
Korea Meteorological Service before he took the lead of the state-run ‘Center
for Eco-energy and Greenhouse Gases,’ boasting his excellence in the field of
environmental technology and environmental industry.