The Biopharmaceuticals and Herbal Medicine Evaluation Department under the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has an employee with a unique career history. Director General Kim Dae-cheol, who formerly served as a medical examiner at the National Scientific, Criminal & Investigation Laboratory and as a visiting professor at Queen Mary's University Hospital before working as Chief of the Pathology Department at Dong-a University Hospital. For over 20 years, Kim studied pathology and is an authority in the research and verification of gene therapy and gene recombination drugs. However, in 2015, Kim, a doctor with a stellar track record, made a foray into a new career when he decided to become a public official to help raise the competitiveness of Korea's bioindustry. "For over 20 years, I worked hard as a doctor and researcher. But I also contemplated what to do for the next ten years, and realized that, in addition to personal academic growth, I wanted to actively contribute to raising national competitiveness in bioindustry, which is one of Korea's growth engines for the future, so I decided to work with other public servants at the frontline of the bioindustry." In November 2015, he was hired as Director General of the Herbal Medicine Bureau at the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, becoming the "first public servant employed through Referral Recruitment." The Biopharmaceuticals and Herbal Medicine Evaluation Department handles the screening & approval of biopharmaceuticals, herbal medicines, cosmetics, and quasi-drugs.

"Many patients fail to receive treatment at the right time due to the social taboo against mental illness. Late treatment means more medical costs. I will strive to reduce wastage of social resources." Considered the godfather of Korean neuropsychiatry, Lee Chul, President of the National Center for Mental Health (photo) said, "Currently, the center is mainly responsible for mental health-related public service projects. However, our plan is to transform it within 4-5 years into one of the foremost medical institutions that deals with treatment, research, and related projects." When Dr. Lee worked as a doctor for hospitals such as Asan Medical Center and Ulsan University Hospital, he actively spread the pioneering spirit of Chung Ju-yung, the late chairman of Hyundai Group. In 1989, Lee became a founding member and Vice President & Chief Education Officer for Asan Medical Center. He later moved to Ulsan University Hospital and became President of both the University of Ulsan and its hospital. Interestingly, he is well known for his rejection of a job offer request by Hyundai Honorary Chairman Chung Ju-yung. During Lee's first year at Asan Medical Center, Honorary Chairman Mr. Chung asked Dr. Lee to give a doctor a position in a residency program. But after some consideration, he decided to reject the request, saying "A residency program is as competitive as a college entrance exam, so fairness must be observed." When he was appointed as President of the Center in October, his appointment has drawn much attention in the medical community. As he is well known as a man of principle, people expect to see big changes at the institution.

"I don't think anything needs to change just because I moved from the private sector to public office. Our goal is to raise the status of the NCIS by improving the system, the way work is done, and the capabilities of our personnel."
"We will quickly come up with measures for the development of the center along with detailed plans. And we will focus on reinforcing the capabilities of the center as a support organization for the government's ICT infrastructure and for the development of the ICT industry," said Kim Myoung-hee, who spent three months as the new President of the National Computing and Information Service (NCIS). Kim, who was appointed in February through the "government headhunting" initiative for private-sector talent, is the first female public official recruited via the process and the first female president of the NCIS. She received much attention in the beginning as she had excellent track records at both IBM and SK Telecom. "Just as I did while working in the private sector, as president of a public institution, I will strive to achieve organizational goals," she emphasized. Upon appointment, she asked all center employees three questions: What defines you? What contributions have you made to your organization? What improvements do you aspire to make? She had them arrange their answers and collected them to create a thick sourcebook. "[This] helps me understand the organization and personnel. Once common elements are identified, we incorporate them into development measures," Kim said. She has already formed and launched five task forces for the development of the NCIS.

"I will do my best to fulfill my role as Director of the Microdata Service Division based on my experience and expertise in data analysis and marketing, which I gained from working for private companies throughout the years." This is what Yun Ji-suk (51, photo), a former Managing Director at IBM, said, after she was appointed on the 16th as Director of the Microdata Service Division at Statistics Korea through "government hunting." She is the third female public official recruited through this process. A data analysis and consulting expert, Yun received her bachelor's degree in statistics and master's degree in computational statistics from Seoul National University. She has also worked for SAS Korea, Uniboss, and other companies. At Citibank, she successfully completed the integration of data from two merging banks. Also, at IBM, as the person in charge of financial industry operations, she won the company's first big data project in the financial sector. Moreover, since last year, she had served as CEO of Big Data. In total, Yun has over 20 years of career experience in data analysis and marketing. The director of the Microdata Service Division at Statistics Korea is an administrative position responsible for the establishment of a microdata integrated database and the operation of related services. The MPM has headhunted private-sector talent since July 2015.