[THE INVESTOR] President Moon Jae-in sacked the finance minister and his chief policy adviser on Nov. 9 after the two top economic policymakers openly displayed a serious rift over how to handle the slumping economy.

Moon named Hong Nam-ki, an economic technocrat who is currently serving as chief of the Office for Government Policy Coordination under the Prime Minister’s Office, to replace Kim Dong-yeon as finance minister and deputy prime minister for economic affairs, Cheong Wa Dae said.

Moon also sacked Jang Ha-sung, presidential chief of staff for policy, and named his senior social affairs secretary Kim Soo-hyun to succeed him. Jang is the architect of Moon‘s trademark “income-led” growth policy.

Kim and Jang have publicly displayed wide differences over how to revitalize the sluggish economy, with Kim voicing a need to alter the income-led growth policy and Jang insisting on sticking to the distribution-centered policy.

Their replacement was seen in part as aimed at revamping the economic team as they failed to produce tangible results in revitalizing Asia’s fourth-largest economy. Their sacking was also seen as a measure to hold them responsible for failing to work in concert with each other.

Noh Hyeong-ouk, Hongs deputy, was named to succeed Hong as chief of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, while Kim Yeon-myung, a social welfare professor at Seoul’s Chung-Ang University, was tapped to be the new senior social affairs secretary.

The new finance minister nominee graduated from Seoul’s Hanyang University and earned a master’s degree in business administration from the school and another master’s degree in economics from Britain’s University of Salford.

Hong entered the government after passing the high-level civil service exam in 1986 and is considered an expert in budgetary issues. After serving in various positions at the finance ministry, he served as vice minister of the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future under the administration of President Park Geun-hye.

The new presidential chief of staff for policy, Kim, graduated from Seoul National University and earned his master’s degree in urban planning and engineering and his Ph.D degree in environment from the school.

During the administration of President Roh Moo-hyun, Kim served as vice environment minister and presidential secretary for social affairs.

By Song Seung-hyun and newswires (ssh@heraldcorp.com)