Choi Sang-mok facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Choi Sang-mok
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최상목
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Choi in 2024
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| Acting President of South Korea | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 27 December 2024 – 24 March 2025 |
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| Prime Minister | Himself (acting) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Han Duck-soo (acting) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Han Duck-soo (acting) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Acting Prime Minister of South Korea | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 27 December 2024 – 24 March 2025 |
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| President | Yoon Suk Yeol Himself (acting) |
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| Deputy | Lee Ju-ho Himself |
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| Preceded by | Han Duck-soo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Han Duck-soo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance |
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| In office 29 December 2023 – 1 May 2025 |
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| Prime Minister | Han Duck-soo Himself (acting) Han Duck-soo Himself (acting) |
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| Preceded by | Choo Kyung-ho | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Kim Beom-seok (acting) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 7 June 1963 Seoul, South Korea |
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| Political party | Independent | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Seoul National University (LLB, MPA) Cornell University (PhD) |
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| Military service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Allegiance | South Korea | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Branch/service | Republic of Korea Army | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Korean name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hangul |
최상목
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| Hanja |
崔相穆
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| Revised Romanization | Choe Sangmok | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'oe Sangmok | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Choi Sang-mok (Hangul: 최상목) was a South Korean politician. He served as the temporary, or acting, president and acting prime minister of South Korea. This happened from December 2024 to March 2025. He took on these roles after Han Duck-soo was temporarily removed from office. Later, a court decided that Han Duck-soo could return to his position.
Before this, Choi was the deputy prime minister and the minister of economy and finance. He held these jobs from December 2023 to May 2025. He was expected to become acting president and prime minister again in May, but he resigned. Because of his resignation, Lee Ju-ho, who was also a deputy prime minister, became the acting president instead.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Choi Sang-mok was born on June 7, 1963, in Seoul, South Korea. He went to Osan High School in Seoul. In 1982, he started studying law at Seoul National University. He later passed an important government exam in 1985.
Career in Government
Early Career
Choi joined the Army in 1986. He served as an administrative soldier until April 1987. After his military service, he began working for the government. He held various important roles in economic and finance departments. For example, he was a director in the Ministry of Finance and Economy. He also worked in the Ministry of Strategy and Finance. In 1996, he earned his PhD in economics from Cornell University in the United States.
Vice Minister (2014–2017)
From 2013 to 2014, Choi advised the Minister of Strategy and Finance. In July 2014, he became a Secretary for Economy and Finance. He then became the first vice minister of the Ministry of Strategy and Finance. He held this position until May 2017.
Private Sector Roles (2019–2020)
After his government roles, Choi worked in the private sector. In 2019, he joined Ildong Holdings as an outside director. In 2020, he also became an outside director at Shinhan Investment Corp. Later in 2020, he was appointed as the president of the Agricultural Cooperative College.
Acting President and Prime Minister (2024–2025)
Choi Sang-mok became the acting president and prime minister of South Korea on December 27, 2024. This happened after Han Duck-soo, who was prime minister and acting president, was temporarily removed from office by the parliament.
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Just two days after Choi became acting president, a serious plane crash occurred. This was Jeju Air Flight 2216, the deadliest plane crash in South Korea. Choi quickly declared the area where the crash happened a special disaster zone. He also ordered a review of South Korea's aircraft safety systems.
On December 31, 2024, Choi appointed two new judges to the Constitutional Court of Korea. This was to fill empty spots on the court. His decisions on these appointments received different opinions from political parties. Some thought he should not make any appointments, while others wanted him to appoint more people.
Choi also used his power to reject some bills passed by the parliament. These bills aimed to investigate former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife. Choi explained his decision by saying there was not enough agreement between political parties on these bills.
Choi faced questions about government actions related to former President Yoon Suk Yeol in January 2025. In February, he was questioned by the National Assembly about a document he received from Yoon Suk Yeol. This document was about creating a budget for a special legislative body.
On February 27, a court ruled that Choi's decision to not appoint a specific judge to the Constitutional Court was against the parliament's rights. However, the court did not force the appointment. In March, Choi rejected another bill. This bill would have changed how the Korea Communications Commission makes decisions. He said it had "unconstitutional elements."
Choi's time as acting president and prime minister ended on March 24, 2025. This happened when the Constitutional Court decided that Han Duck-soo could return to his role.
Attempt to Remove from Office
On March 21, 2025, several opposition parties tried to remove Choi from his position. They submitted a motion to the National Assembly. They said he refused to appoint judges to the Constitutional Court. They also mentioned his actions related to the martial law declaration and not acting on a Supreme Court nominee.
After Choi returned to his role as finance minister, the motion to remove him was discussed in the National Assembly. However, Choi resigned on May 1, just before the vote was to happen. His resignation stopped the process.
See also
In Spanish: Choi Sang-mok para niños
