ⓒYONHAP News

President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol nominated People Power Party lawmaker Choo Kyung-ho as his first deputy prime minister for the economy, who also doubles as finance minister.

Yoon announced eight Cabinet member nominees including Choo at 2 p.m. Sunday in a press conference at the transition committee's office in Seoul.

Professor Lee Chang-yang of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology was tapped to lead the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Energy, while former Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong was nominated for land, infrastructure and transport minister.

Yoon designated former vice chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lee Jong-sup as his first defense minister.

Lee Jong-ho, the head of a semiconductor research center at Seoul National University, was nominated for science and ICT minister.

Jeong Ho-yeong, the former chief of Kyungpook National University Hospital, was tapped for health and welfare minister.

Park Bo-kyun, former vice president of the JoongAng Ilbo daily and a special adviser to Yoon, was nominated for culture, sports and tourism minister.

Former Rep. Kim Hyun-sook was tapped for minister of family and gender equality.

Later in the week, Yoon  nominated Han Dong-hoon, a senior prosecutor and a close ally, as his first justice minister.

Yoon said Han was determined to be the most suitable candidate to modernize the nation's judicial administration to a level that meets global standards.

He dismissed opinions that his nomination of Han, who had worked closely with him when they were both prosecutors, was unconventional. Yoon noted the nominee had accumulated expertise in investigations, trial, the prosecutorial system and judicial administration over his 20-year career at the prosecution.

Seven other Cabinet minister nominees were also announced. Kim In-chul, the former president of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, was picked as education minister and deputy prime minister for social affairs for his capacity to lead the administration's educational reforms.

Four-term main opposition People Power Party(PPP) Rep. Park Jin, a former career diplomat considered an expert on South Korea-U.S. relations, was officially tapped for the foreign minister role. Another four-term representative who played a central role in Yoon's election camp, Kwon Young-se, was named unification minister nominee.

Yoon nominated Lee Sang-min, former vice chair of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, as interior minister and Han Wha-jin, an honorary researcher of the Korea Environment Institute, as environment minister. 

He picked Cho Seung-hwan, former president of the Korea Institute of Marine Science and Technology Promotion, as oceans minister and PPP Rep. Lee Young as SMEs minister. 

Yoon also appointed Kim Dae-ki, the former presidential chief of staff for policy during the Lee Myung-bak government, as his presidential chief of staff.

Yoon added two more nominations at the end of the week, former presidential secretary for agriculture Chung Hwang-keun as agriculture minister, and former secretary general of the Korea Labor and Employment Service Lee Jung-sik as labor minister.

With that announcement, Yoon has rounded out his first Cabinet lineup of 18 ministers.