Park Soon-ae

South Korean policy analyst (born 1965)

박순애

Minister of EducationIn office
5 July 2022 – 8 August 2022PresidentYoon Suk-yeolPrime MinisterHan Duck-sooPreceded byYoo Eun-haeSucceeded byLee Ju-ho

Park Soon-ae (born 21 April 1965) is a South Korean former Education Minister who served under President Yoon Suk-yeol for in July 2022 to August 2022.

Minister of Education

As of May 2022, there were only three women among the State Councilors of the Yoon Suk Yeol government and only two women among the vice-ministerial level officials. This was criticised as a lack of women's representation in the government.^[1] In response to these criticisms, Yoon appointed Park Soon-ae as the Minister of Education and Kim Seung-hee as the Minister of Welfare, increasing the ratio of female-to-male ministers in the cabinet to 30%.^[2]

Park Soon-ae resigned on 5 August, just 34 days into her tenure; Yoon's approval rating had fallen from 30% to 24%, largely due to public backlash against Park's school reform plans.^[3]

References

^ "尹 "여성, 장관 직전 위치까지 못 올라와" 답변도 논란" (in Korean). Pressian. 22 May 2022. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
^ "'교육 박순애·복지 김승희·식약처 오유경'...尹 내각 女비율 단숨에 30% 근접" ['Park Soon-ae to Education, Kim Seung-hee to Welfare, Oh Yoo-kyung to Ministry of Food and Drug Safety': ratio of women in Yoon cabinet approaches 30%]. Aju News. 26 May 2022. Archived from the original on 16 September 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
^ Kim, Mi-na (9 August 2022). "Education minister resigns 34 days into term as Yoon's approval rating dwindles". The Hankyoreh. Archived from the original on 16 September 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022.