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(LEAD) (profile) Prominent female engineer tapped to lead science, ICT ministry

All News 17:16 April 16, 2021

(ATTN: ADDS more details in paras 4-6)

SEOUL, April 16 (Yonhap) -- A renowned female electronic engineer who has made inroads in the country's male-dominated science and engineering field was tapped to lead the Ministry of Science and ICT on Friday.

Lim Hye-sook, a professor of electronic and electrical engineering at Ewha Womans University, currently serves as the chairperson of the National Research Council of Science & Technology, which supports and oversees the country's state-backed science and technology research institutes.

She will be tasked with overseeing the Moon administration's digital New Deal initiative, which aims to boost investment in new technologies, such as 5G and artificial intelligence, for job creation, as well as the country's space program. The country aims to launch its first homegrown rocket into space in October this year.

Lim also has to map out a support plan for local researchers and companies developing COVID-19 vaccines and treatments to overcome the pandemic.

Science Minister nominee Lim Hye-sook is shown in this photo provided by Cheong Wa Dae on April 16, 2021. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Science Minister nominee Lim Hye-sook is shown in this photo provided by Cheong Wa Dae on April 16, 2021. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

"I feel a large responsibility in the face of an unprecedented pandemic and global competition for technology hegemony," Lim said in a statement.

"Based on my experience as a researcher and also in the country's research and development policy making, I will place priorities on overcoming the COVID-19 crisis and transforming the country with science technology and ICT policies."

Born in 1963, Lim earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering at Seoul National University and her doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin.

She worked as a researcher at Bell Laboratories and Cisco Systems in the United States before joining Ewha Womans University in 2002.

In 2019, Lim became the first woman to lead the Institute of Electronics and Information Engineers, a professional association for electrical engineers.

She was the first woman and the youngest to take the top job at the National Research Council of Science & Technology in January this year.

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
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