Lee named Lee Hyoung-il, the first vice finance minister, to succeed Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol, presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik told a briefing.
Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Seung-won was tapped as justice minister.
The president also nominated former South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command deputy commander Kang Shin-chul as defense minister and land ministry vice minister Hong Jee-sun to lead the land, infrastructure and transport portfolio.
Democratic Party lawmaker Lee So-young was named minister of SMEs and startups, a post left vacant for more than a month, while Basic Income Party lawmaker Yong Hye-in was tapped for gender equality and family.
The shake-up was brought forward after Justice Minister Jeong Seong-ho resigned citing ill health, accelerating a reshuffle originally expected after October's parliamentary audit.
The incoming justice minister faces the Oct. 2 launch of new investigative and prosecution bodies that strip the prosecution of its investigative powers.
Meanwhile, Koo initially abandoned a trip to a Group of 20 finance ministers' meeting in Asheville, North Carolina, turning back at Incheon International Airport on Sunday morning before reversing course and departing as scheduled.
• South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Aug. 30, 2026, nominated six cabinet members, including first vice finance minister Lee Hyoung-il to succeed Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol and Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Seung-won as justice minister.
• The reshuffle, accelerated by Justice Minister Jeong Seong-ho's resignation on health grounds, also named former South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command deputy commander Kang Shin-chul as defense minister and filled long-vacant posts including the SMEs and startups ministry, empty for more than a month.
• The finance change came the same day Koo Yun-cheol turned back at Incheon International Airport, then reversed course and left as scheduled for the G20 finance ministers' meeting in Asheville, North Carolina, keeping a planned bilateral with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
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