Labor and industrial relations expert to take office Monday; pledges to tackle AI-era job displacement risks
Lee Byung-hoon, a former sociology professor at Chung-Ang University, has been appointed president of the Human Resources Development Service of Korea, effective Monday.
Lee was appointed following a recommendation by the agency's executive nomination committee and a formal proposal by the Minister of Employment and Labor, with final approval granted by the president. His term runs three years, through June 14, 2029.
Lee graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in sociology and earned his master's and doctoral degrees in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University in the United States. He served as a professor in the sociology department at Chung-Ang University from 2000 to 2023, researching labor markets and industrial relations.
He has also held a range of policy roles, serving as chairman of the Public Mutual Solidarity Fund Foundation, chair of the Platform Labor Social Dialogue Forum, and chair of the Public Institutions Committee under the Economic, Social and Labor Council.
The agency said Lee is well suited to lead institutional reform and future workforce development policy, citing his expertise in labor policy and his experience building policy consensus through social dialogue.
"It is important to raise public awareness and trust in the agency's human resources development services," Lee said. "I will do my best to make those services more accessible and better organized, while effectively responding to job changes and the risk of displacement driven by the AI-led industrial transformation."
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