Park Seung-joo, the nominee to lead South Korea's public safety ministry, is a former gender equality vice minister who has worked in various government posts since becoming a public official decades ago.
Park, the head director of nonprofit Korea Society of Civil Volunteer, spent the early stage of his career as a public servant at the presidential secretariat, after graduating from the country's top-ranked Seoul National University with a bachelor's in business administration.
The 64-year-old then served in various posts until he reached the No. 2 position at the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family in 2007 under the Roh Moo-hyun administration.
Park was named to head the Ministry of Public Safety and Security upon the recommendation of Kim Byeong-joon, who was tapped as the country's new prime minister, according to presidential spokesman Jung Youn-kuk.
Born in Yeonggwang, located some 350 kilometers southwest of Seoul, Park has a master's degree in industrial engineering from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). He also received a doctorate in public administration from Dongguk University in Seoul. (Yonhap)