President Moon Jae-in has appointed Land Minister Byeon Chang-heum and Gender Equality and Family Minister Chung Young-ai. 

The presidential office announced Moon’s endorsement of the two nominees on Monday after the National Assembly’s Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee and Gender Equality and Family Committee each adopted a confirmation hearing report on Byeon and Chung earlier in the day. 

The two new ministers will begin their terms on Tuesday. 

While the confirmation hearing report on Chung was adopted unanimously, the parliamentary land committee was split along partisan lines with all nine members from the main opposition People Power Party abstaining from voting amid a controversy over some of his past remarks. 

While serving as the head of Seoul Housing and Urban Corporation, Byun made a comment on the death of a young non-regular repair worker while on duty at a Seoul subway station in 2016 in which he appeared to be blaming the worker of personal negligence. Byun later apologized for the remark.  

Moon's latest approval completes a four-person reshuffle he announced earlier this month, which also saw the appointments of Interior and Safety Minister Jeon Hae-cheol and Health and Welfare minister Kwon Deok-cheol.