Kim Young-joo (Korean: 김영주; Hanja: 金榮珠; born 27 July 1955) is a South Korean politician and former basketball player previously served as President Moon Jae-in's first Minister of Employment and Labor from 2017 to 2018.

[1] She then worked at the Bank where she reportedly faced gender discrimination which led her to join its trade union.

She later joined its leadership board and eventually became the deputy chair of the Korea Financial Industry Union and the first woman to assume this post.

[4] She was nominated and appointed as President Moon Jae-in's first Minister of Employment and Labor.

She was replaced after facing opposition parties and the media's strong critics of the "decrease in weekly working hours and increase in minimum wage" policy, which she was responsible for as labour minister and was one of the main socio-economic campaign promises of Moon, throughout her time as Minister.