Koo Yun-cheol

Koo Yun-cheol (, born 1 June 1965) is a South Korean government official who has served as the minister of economy and finance since July 2025. He previously served as the vice minister of economy and finance from 2018 to 2020 and as the minister for government policy coordination from 2020 to 2022.

Career After qualifying for the Public Administration Examination, he had been involved in various positions within the Ministry of Economy and Finance (including the predecessor Ministry of Planning and Budget). He also used to work at the Office of the President under the former President Roh Moo-hyun.

Prior to the 2020 election, Koo was one of the potential candidate in Daegu-North Gyeongsang area. He, however, declined to run, citing, "I'm neither willing, nor not in a situation to run." On 18 July 2025, President Lee Jae Myung endorsed the appointment of Koo as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance.

Education Koo is a graduate of Youngshin High School and read economics at Seoul National University. He obtained a master's degree in public policy at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and a doctorate in business administration at Chung-Ang University.