Lee Names New Spy Chief
By Kim Yon-se
Staff Reporter
President Lee Myung-bak Thursday appointed former Justice Minister Kim Sung-ho, 57, as the head of the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
Choi Si-jung, 70, former president of Gallup Korea, has been named to lead the Broadcasting and Communications Commission.
Kim, who was born in Namhae, South Gyeongsang Province in 1950, graduated from Korea University in 1972, passed the state judiciary examination in 1974 and served as a public prosecutor until 2004 when he became the secretary general of the Korea Independent Commission Against Corruption.
Kim, who served as the 58th justice minister between August 2006 and August 2007, is the figure who took a stern position toward those who led and actively participated in demonstrations against the country's free trade agreement (FTA) talks with the United States.
During his one-year term, he reportedly had several conflicts with former President Roh Moo-hyun, who appointed him.
When Roh filed a constitutional petition in June to protest the Election Law clauses on the obligation of civil servants to remain neutral during elections, Kim raised an objection. Some political experts said that this difference in opinion might have resulted in his earlier-than-expected resignation.
There have been rumors that Kim would work for the Lee administration. During the prosecution's investigation of Lee over scandals concerning alleged illegal purchases of real estate in Dogok-dong, Seoul, Kim said it was not right for the judiciary to be deeply involved in a political election.
Choi, a retired journalist, worked as an adviser to Lee during his presidential campaign last year.
He worked for the Dong-Ah Ilbo newspaper as an editorial writer before he became president of Gallup Korea in 1994. He quit the company and joined Lee's camp last year.
Some skeptics highlighted his background. Choi and presidential spokesman Lee Dong-kwan are both graduates from Seoul National University's political science department and served for the same newspaper company.