Choi Sang-mok facts for kids

Quick facts for kids His Excellency Choi Sang-mok
최상목
Choi in 2024
President of South Korea
Acting 27 December 2024 – 24 March 2025
Prime Minister	Himself (acting)
Preceded by	Han Duck-soo (acting)
Succeeded by	Han Duck-soo (acting)
Prime Minister of South Korea
Acting 27 December 2024 – 24 March 2025
President	Yoon Suk Yeol Himself (acting)
Deputy	Lee Ju-ho Himself
Preceded by	Han Duck-soo
Succeeded by	Han Duck-soo
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance
In office 29 December 2023 – 1 May 2025
Prime Minister	Han Duck-soo Himself (acting) Han Duck-soo
Preceded by	Choo Kyung-ho
Succeeded by	Kim Beom-seok (acting) Koo Yun-cheol
Additional offices Senior Secretary for Economic Affairs In office 10 May 2022 – 3 December 2023 President Yoon Suk Yeol Preceded by Park Won-ju Succeeded by Park Choon-seop Vice Minister of Strategy and Finance In office 18 January 2016 – 31 May 2017 Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn Yoo Il-ho (acting) Minister Yoo Il-ho Secretary for Economic Affairs and Finance In office September 2014 – January 2016 Prime Minister Chung Hong-won Lee Wan-koo Hwang Kyo-ahn
Personal details
Born	(1963-06-07) 7 June 1963 (age 62) Seoul, South Korea
Political party	Independent
Spouse	Choi Jeong-seon (Hangul: 최정선)
Education	Seoul National University (LLB, MPA) Cornell University (PhD)
Military service
Allegiance	South Korea
Branch/service	Republic of Korea Army
Korean name
Hangul	최상목
Hanja	崔相穆
RR	Choe Sangmok
MR	Ch'oe Sangmok

Choi Sang-mok (Hangul: 최상목, born 7 June 1963) is a South Korean politician. He served as the acting President and acting Prime Minister from December 2024 to March 2025. This happened after Han Duck-soo was temporarily removed from his role, a decision later changed by the Constitutional Court.

Before this, Choi was the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Economy and Finance from December 2023 to May 2025. He resigned on May 1, 2025. After his resignation, Lee Ju-ho, who was also a Deputy Prime Minister, became the acting president.

Early Life and School

Choi Sang-mok was born in Seoul, South Korea, on June 7, 1963. He went to Osan High School. In 1982, he started studying at Seoul National University School of Law. He chose to study law in his second year. In 1985, he passed an important government exam. Later, in June 1996, he earned his PhD in economics from Cornell University. He focused on how large economies work.

Starting His Career

Choi joined the Army on October 13, 1986. He served as an administrative soldier in the Army Headquarters. He finished his service as a private on April 12, 1987.

After his military service, he worked as an official in the Ministry of Economic Affairs. He held several important roles there. These included Director of the Securities System Division and Director of the Financial Policy Division. He also served as Director of the Policy Coordination Bureau.

Political Roles Before 2022

Working as a Vice Minister

From October 2013 to July 2014, Choi was an advisor for economic affairs. In July 2014, he became the Secretary for Economy and Finance in the Presidential Office. He then returned to the Ministry of Finance. He was promoted to Vice Minister of the Ministry of Strategy and Finance. He held this position until May 2017.

Other Roles

In March 2020, Choi Sang-mok became the 26th president of the Agricultural Cooperative College.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister

Joining the Yoon Administration

In March 2022, after Yoon Suk-yeol was elected president, Choi joined the Presidential Transition Committee. He helped plan for the new government. He was considered for important roles like Deputy Prime Minister. Eventually, he became the Chief Economic Secretary in the Office of the President.

Leading the Economy Ministry

President Yoon Suk Yeol later appointed Choi as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance. Choi stated that his main goal was to help stabilize people's daily lives. He was known as a supporter of President Yoon. However, he disagreed with a specific government plan that was being considered in 2024.

Acting President and Prime Minister (2024–2025)

Acting presidency of Choi Sang-mok
27 December 2024 – 24 March 2025
Premier	Himself (acting)
Cabinet	Full list
Party	Independent
Seat	Seoul
← Han Duck-soo (acting, 1st) • Han Duck-soo (acting, 2nd) →

Choi with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Philippine President Bongbong Marcos in Manila on 7 October 2024

On December 27, 2024, Choi Sang-mok became both the acting President and acting Prime Minister of South Korea. This happened after Prime Minister of South Korea Han Duck-soo was temporarily removed from his position.

Choi meets United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on 6 January 2025 in Seoul

A plane crash happened just two days into Choi's acting presidency. It was the deadliest plane crash in South Korea. Choi quickly declared the area a special disaster zone. He also ordered a review of South Korea's aircraft 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 choices were met with mixed reactions from political parties. Some thought he should not make appointments as an interim leader. Choi also rejected the resignations of several senior officials. At the same time, he did not approve two bills that aimed to investigate President Yoon Suk Yeol. He said there was not enough agreement between political parties.

Choi's role in a situation involving President Yoon's residence on January 3, 2025, also drew attention. Some accused him of making it difficult for officials to carry out their duties.

On February 6, Choi was questioned by the National Assembly. They asked about a document he received from President Yoon. This document was about creating a budget for a special legislative body.

On February 27, the Constitutional Court made a ruling. They said Choi's decision about a judge's appointment was not correct. However, they did not order the judge to be appointed right away.

On March 18, Choi did not approve a bill about the Korea Communications Commission. He said it had parts that might not follow the constitution.

On March 24, Han Duck-soo's temporary removal was overturned by the Constitutional Court. Because of this, Choi's duties as acting president and prime minister ended.

Attempt to Remove Him

On March 21, 2025, several opposition parties tried to remove Choi from his finance minister role. They said he refused to appoint judges to the Constitutional Court. They also mentioned his role in the government's plan in December 2024.

After Choi returned to his role as finance minister, the attempt to remove him continued. However, Choi resigned on May 1, just before a vote was to happen. His resignation stopped the process.

See also

In Spanish: Choi Sang-mok para niños

• Cabinet of Yoon Suk Yeol