President Lee Myung-bak on Thursday named the head of the state-run trade promotion agency as his new minister handling energy and industry affairs and a former police chief as head of the presidential security service, his spokesman said.
Hong Suk-woo, head of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), was tapped to lead the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, presidential spokesman Park Jeong-ha said. Hong will succeed Choi Joong-kyung who offered to step down to take responsibility over last month's extensive power outages.
Hong's appointment is subject to a parliamentary confirmation hearing, though the National Assembly does not have the power to reject the appointment.
Lee also named Eo Cheong-soo, former chief of the National Police Agency, as head of the presidential security service to succeed Kim In-jong. Kim submitted his resignation following allegations of irregularities in a project to build a retirement residence for Lee.
Hong is a career bureaucrat experienced in a wide spectrum of businesses and operations of the Knowledge Economy, officials close to the nominee said Thursday.
Hong, 58, joined the government in 1981, one year after he graduated from Seoul National University, and had since worked for the commerce ministry until he was appointed theadministrator of the Small & Medium Business Administration in 2008.
A native of Cheongju in North Chungcheong Province, he began serving as head of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) earlier this year.
"With his 30 years of experience at the Knowledge Economy and vast knowledge in dealings of the ministry, the minister nominee is expected to be able to address various issues facing the government in various fields, including trade and energy," presidential spokesman Park Jeong-ha said.
Hong received his doctorate in public administration from Seoul's Sungkyunkwan University in 2004. (Yonhap)