President Lee Myung-bak on Tuesday named former Arirang TV president Samuel Koo to head the Presidential Council on Nation Branding, the organization said.

Koo, 70, is currently a member of the council. His term will end in April next year when his membership with the council expires.

A former journalist with decades of experience at the Associated Press and the Korea Herald, Koo also served as the U.N. commissioner-general for the Yeosu Expo. His career also included stints as a senior official of the United Nations and UNICEF. (Yonhap)