By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
Unification Minister nominee Hyun In-taek, 55, is the chief architect of President Lee Myung-bak's North Korea policy and has been a political science professor at Korea University in Seoul, President Lee's alma mater, since 1995.
The political and international relations expert supported President Lee as an advisor even before he was elected and was a member of his transition team for three months from December 2007.
He is also known as a designer of the current North Korea policy, dubbed ``Vision 3000.'' This calls for boosting North Korea's per capita national income to $3,000 in a decade in return for Pyongyang's decision to verifiably give up its nuclear ambitions, drawing a backlash from North Korea. Pyongyang has officially criticized Vision 3000.
The communist state cut all communication channels and has refused to talk with the South in retaliation for the tougher stance.
Hyun is said to be a suitable person to carry out the top post and promote Seoul's policies, as he has close connections with people in various walks of life at home and abroad.
Nonetheless, concerns are increasing since he is considered a conservative scholar whose studies mainly focus on security and relations with the United States, rather than inter-Korean relations.
A native of Jeju Island, Hyun received a PhD at the University of California, Los Angeles and worked at the Sejong Institute, a private non-profit research institute in the areas of security, national unification and foreign affairs.
He is also a member of the National Assembly's ethics committee.
Hyun has a son and a daughter with his wife Hwang Byeong-wan, 48.