Young-Sun Park

H.E. Young-sun Park is the former Minister of the Ministry of SMEs & Startups in the Republic of Korea from 2019 to 2021 and the first woman to lead a SME-specialized government entity since its creation. She was a Presidential Special Envoy to Ecuador in 2017. She is currently a Senior Research Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Ash Center. Prior to her cabinet position, she served as a Member of the National Assembly, gaining recognition for her efforts to reform the Chaebol and prosecutorial system. She was the first woman floor leader and chairperson of the Legislation & Judiciary Committee. Before she became a career politician, she had a distinguished career as a national news anchor and journalist for 22 years at MBC, a major Korean TV station. She anchored from Moscow before the establishment of Korea’s diplomatic relationship with the Soviet Union, interviewed world leaders on her own interview program, and hosted the first live MBC TV news from Pyongyang, North Korea. She is a recipient of many awards such as “The Baek Bong Shin Sa Award” selected by political news reporters in 2008, 2010 and 2011, and “The Best National Assembly Member Award for the National Audit.” She is one of the most sought after politicians in Korea by news media.