People

Jong-In Yoon

Jong-In Yoon

Senior Advisor
Introduction

Jong-In Yoon has had a distinguished career spanning over three decades, primarily in the public service sector. His journey began in 1987 when he passed the 31st Administrative Examination and entered public service in 1988, culminating in a career that lasted until 2022.

Throughout his 34 years in public service, Mr. Yoon held various significant positions. He worked in the Presidential Office as the Secretary of Administration and Local Autonomy and served as the Vice Governor of Chungcheongnam-do Province. He held leadership roles in the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, including Director of the Government Innovation Organization Office, Director of the Local Autonomy Division, and ultimately as the Deputy Minister of the Ministry. Additionally, he served as the Standing Commissioner (equivalent to Deputy Minister) and Chairman (Minister-level) of the Personal Information Protection Commission.

During his early years in public service at the General Affairs Administration, Mr. Yoon focused on administrative system improvement, regulatory relaxation, and managing government organizations. He actively participated in government organization restructuring across various administrations from President Kim Dae-jung to President Moon Jae-in. His experience extended through various roles at the director and bureau chief levels, particularly during the Roh Moo-hyun and Park Geun-hye administrations, where he dedicated himself to government innovation initiatives such as Government 3.0 and data openness.

In the Park Geun-hye administration, as the Secretary of Administration and Local Autonomy at the Presidential Office, he promoted government 3.0 tasks including data openness, and public pension reform, and later as the Vice Governor of Chungcheongnam-do, contributed to regional economic revitalization. Returning to the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, he led as the Chief Director of the Creative Government Organization Office and also of Local Autonomy Office, becoming the Deputy Minister in 2018. His tenure was marked by efforts in emergency disaster support, digital government innovation, and expansion of local autonomy through comprehensive amendments to the Local Autonomy Law.

In 2020, he was appointed as the inaugural chairman of the newly independent Central Administrative Organization, the Personal Information Protection Commission, where he worked for two years enhancing the organization's independence and expertise.

Professional Career
  • 2024-PresentSenior Advisor, Shin & Kim LLC
  • 2020-2022Chairman of the Personal Information Protection Commission
  • 2018-2020Deputy Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety
  • 2018-2018Standing Commissioner of the Personal Information Protection Commission
  • 2017-2018Director of Municipal Administration and Decentralization (Local Autonomy) Office, Ministry of the Interior and Safety
  • 2017-2017Director of Government Innovation Organization, Ministry of the Interior and Safety
  • 2016-2017Director of Creative Government Organization, Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs
  • 2016-2016The 33rd Vice Governor of Chungcheongnam-do
  • 2014-2016Secretary of Administration and Local Autonomy, Office of Secretary to the President for Political Affairs, Presidential Secretariat
  • 2014-2014Director of Creative Government Planning, Creative Government Organization Office, Ministry of Security and Public Administration
  • 2010-2013Counselor at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the United States
  • 2008-2010Director of Municipal Administration Systems Planning, Ministry of the Interior and Safety
  • 2007-2007The 8th Deputy Mayor of Asan City, Chungcheongnam-do
  • 2002-2006Director of the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs (served at the Administrative Systems Division, Organizational Diagnosis Division, Innovation Evaluation Team, Innovation Strategy Team, Government Innovation Division)
  • 1998-2002Completed the State-funded Ph.D. program at the University of Georgia
  • 1991-1998Deputy Director of the Ministry of General Affairs Administration (served at the Government Organization Reorganization Working Committee, Organizational Planning Division; Administrative Reform Committee; Organizational Planning Bureau, Institutional Organization 2 Division, etc.)
  • 1990-1991Deputy Director dispatched to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Bureau, Startup Support Department
  • 1989-1990Deputy Director of the Chungcheongnam-do Provincial Affairs Planning Team, Regional Economy Division, Urban Planning Department
  • 1988Deputy Director dispatched to the Olympic Organizing Committee
  • 1988Passed the 31st Higher Civil Service Examination (for 5th Grade Civil Servants)
Key Experience
  • Contributed to enhanced professionalism and independence of the Personal Information Protection Committee, a newly established central administrative agency (e.g. established mid- to long-term visions and plans for personal information management, promoted personal information protection during COVID times by introducing the personal safety numbers, engaged with stakeholders through the monthly Talk Talk Relay program, promoted citizen-oriented policies, such as the creation of the personal information civil watch group, promoted the guidelines for the use of pseudonymous information, promoted the personal information consulting services for data innovation companies, established personal information protection policies for children and adolescents, conducted a comprehensive review of the current personal information protection status in public institutions, established and secured budget for the 5-year personal information R&D plan, established guidelines for new technology areas such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and autonomous driving and for customized personal information protection, submitted a complete revision plan of the Personal Information Protection Act to the National Assembly, conducted a focused investigation into the processing of 10 major areas in personal information usage, including e-commerce and mobility, concluded personal information self-regulation agreements, ordered investigation into cases of violation of the Personal Information Protection Act, confirmed decisions on personal information protection appropriateness with the EU and the UK authorities, strengthened cooperation with foreign personal information supervisory authorities such as the APPA General Assembly, etc. (2020-2022)
  • Promoted government organizational management, expanded decentralized administrative services, created regional innovation ecosystems, implemented COVID-19 response measures, revised the Personal Information Protection Act, promoted the digital government innovation projects, promoted the introduction of a municipal police system, completely revised the Local Autonomy Act (2018-2020)
  • Revised the Personal Information Protection System (e.g. promoted revision of the Personal Information Protection Act on such as introduction of pseudonyms, implemented countermeasures to the enforcement of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), authoritative interpretation of personal information, operation of the personal information dispute mediation system, etc.) (2018)
  • Promoted decentralized administration project at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (e.g. prepared a comprehensive revision to the Local Autonomy Act, reviewed introduction of the Hometown Love Donation system, promoted revision of laws related to settling the past history, etc.) (2017-2018)
  • Directed government innovation projects at the Ministry of Public Administration and Security (e.g. opening of public data, operation of the Civil Participation Group for Living Services, promotion of data-based administration services, expansion of the Government 24 portal services, reorganization of government structures, etc.) (2016-2017)
  • Served at the Presidential Secretariat (e.g. the Government 3.0 Project, opening of public data, civil servant pension reform project, etc.) (2014-2016)
  • Directed the Government 3.0 Project at the Ministry of Security and Public Administration (e.g. opening of public data, etc.) (2014)
  • Promoted municipal administration systems improvement and integration of administrative districts at the Ministry of Public Administration and Security (2008-2010)
  • Promoted government innovation projects at the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs: established government innovation strategies, performed innovation performance assessment (e.g. the Government Innovation Index (GII)) and organizational diagnosis, completely revised the Administrative Procedures Act, etc. (2002-2006)
Education
  • 1998-2003University of Georgia, School of Public and International Affairs (Doctor of Public Administration, D.P.A.)
  • 1990-1995Seoul National University, Graduate School of Public Administration (Master of Public Policy, MPP)
  • 1983-1988Seoul National University, College of Humanities, Department of Western History
Bar Admissions
  • Licensed Administrative Agent, Korea
Languages

Korean, English

Professional Activities
  • What should we prepare for in the age of data?, etnews, 2023
  • Korea Next Level, Book21 Publishing Group, 2023 (co-authored)
  • Strategies and Challenges for the Voluntary Integration of Local Governments, Policy Society Conference, 2009
  • The Logic and Application of the Government Innovation Index (GII), Public Administration Society Conference, 2006 (co-authored)
  • Strategies and Challenges for the Government Innovation, Policy Society Conference, 2006
  • Organizational Commitment, Encyclopedia of Public Administration and Policy Vol.2 Marcel Dekker, 2003
  • Research on Korean Employees’ Organizational Commitment: A Review, Current Topics in Management, 2003
  • Informing an Apparent Irony in OD, II: High Success Rate and Good Fit with Confucian Work Ethic (Coauthor), International Conference on Management, 2003
  • A Comparative Study of Organizational Commitment among Korean Public and Private Sector Employees: Why and To Whom are they Committed? (Doctoral thesis), University of Georgia, 2003
  • OD Applications in Korea, Public Administration Quarterly Vol. 25 No 2, 2001
  • Research on regulation of quasi-public institutions (Master's thesis), Seoul National University, 1995
interview
Awards
  • 2023Order of Service Merit, 1st Grade Blue Stripes
  • 2004Order of Service Merit, 4th Grade Green Stripes
  • 1993Commendation (President)

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