Tae-Shin Kwon has been the Minister of the Prime Minister's Office of the Republic of Korea since 20 January 2009 after successfully serving as the Vice Minister of General Affairs of the Prime Minister's Office. He served as the Korean Ambassador to the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the OECD (2006-2008) and also as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Finance and Economy (2005). Having built a career in the field of finance and economy he currently enjoys the reputation of being Korea's representative specialist in international finance.  

Educated at Seoul National University (BA, 1972), Vanderbilt University (MA, 1982) and City University of London (MBA, 2001), he started public service in 1977 in the Ministry of Finance and since then took up various important positions including Director-General for International Finance (2002-03), Director for Economic Cooperation, International Organization, Overseas Investment, Budget Policy (1991-96) as well as Economic Counsellor at the Korean Embassy in the United Kingdom (1998-01). His career also included work in the Office of the President as Deputy Director-General of the National Competitiveness Enhancement Committee (1997), Assistant Secretary for the Finance and Economy (1989), Economic Secretary for the Industry and Communications (2001), and Secretary for Economic Policies as well as Secretary for Coordination and Planning (2004).