The appointment of Cho Yoon-sun, one of the most trusted confidants of President Park Geun-hye, as the new culture minister is expected to boost the current administration during its last 18 months in power.

The lawyer-turned-politician first surfaced in political circles in 2002 as a spokesperson of the then Grand National Party. After joining the legislature as a proportional representative in 2008, she soon blended into the pro-Park clique, serving as spokesperson for the party during the 2012 presidential election season and then for president-elect Park until inauguration.

Based on her strong ties with the state leader, Cho took office as gender equality minister in 2013, becoming the only female Cabinet member in the Park administration as well as the youngest head for the ministry that was created in 2001.

Her ministerial career, followed by 11 months as presidential secretary for political affairs, seemed to be smooth sailing until she was pressed to step down to take responsibility for the underachievement of government-led reforms of the civil servants’ pension system.

She suffered another fall earlier this year during the ruling Saenuri Party’s nomination race to select candidates for the April 13 general election, in which she was outrun by rival Lee Hye-hoon.

Despite such setbacks, however, Cho’s reinstatement to the Cabinet had largely been speculated, especially since Rep. Lee Jung-hyun, another ranking pro-Park figure, grasped the ruling party’s chairmanship in the recent leadership election.

“The public society should set an example in breaking the glass ceiling,” said Park at a Cabinet meeting earlier this month, alluding to Cho’s appointment into a key government post.

The 50-year-old Cho majored in diplomatic science at Seoul National University and acquired a master’s degree in law at Columbia University Law School. Her corporate career includes the nation’s top-ranking law firm Kim & Chang and Citibank Korea, in which she served as vice president in charge of legal affairs.

By Bae Hyun-jung(tellme@heraldcorp.com)