Former Googler Kim Sang-bu named World Bank VP in first for a Korean

Kim Sang-bu, a former Google executive, was appointed the World Bank's vice president for digital transformation.

Kim Sang-bu [MINISTRY OF ECONOMY AND FINANCE]

The World Bank named Kim Sang-bu, Google's former consumer policy director for the Asia-Pacific region, its vice president for digital transformation on Tuesday.

Kim will take up the position on September 3.

The appointment marks the first time a Korean national has been appointed to such a senior post at the World Bank since the country first joined the World Bank Group in 1955. Jim Yong Kim, World Bank's former president, is Korean American.

The position was newly set up this year as the bank bolstered its efforts to accelerate the economic development of developing nations through digitization. Kim will spearhead such initiatives at the World Bank, which will include establishing digital infrastructure and enhancing cybersecurity in developing countries.

Kim, who was born in 1972, has 27 years of digital experience as well as time in the public sector.

He served as Google's director of government affairs and public policy for consumer products in the Asia-Pacific region from 2022 to this year. He previously worked as an executive at LG U+ and as a public official at the Science and ICT Ministry, Korea Communications Commission and presidential office from 1997 to 2013.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]