Tax chief named policy planning head

Full lineup of presidential secretaries to be announced this week

By Na Jeong-ju

Staff reporter

President Lee Myung-bak has named National Tax Service (NTS) Commissioner Baek Yong-ho, 54, as his new policy planning chief as part of a reshuffle of the presidential secretariat, Cheong Wa Dae announced Tuesday.

Baek replaces Yoon Jin-sik, who resigned from the post last month to run for a National Assembly seat in by-elections slated for July 28.

President Lee also tapped Chung Jin-suk, 50, a three-term lawmaker of the governing Grand National Party (GNP), as his senior secretary for political affairs, and Park In-joo, 60, president of the state-run National Institute for Lifelong Education, as senior secretary for social integration.

Kim Hee-jung, 39, president of the Korea Internet and Security Agency and a former GNP lawmaker, was named new presidential spokeswoman.

"Four people were included in the new lineup of presidential secretaries, which will be completed as early as this week," said Lee Dong-kwan, senior secretary for public relations.

Last week, Lee appointed Minister of Employment and Labor Yim Tae-hee, 53, another three-term GNP lawmaker, as his new chief of staff. Yim's predecessor, Chung Chung-kil, 68, resigned after the GNP suffered an unexpected defeat in the June 2 local elections.

Yim's appointment came one day after Lee reorganized the presidential secretariat in hopes of regaining public confidence in the governing camp, which has been reeling from a high-profile influence peddling scandal involving the Prime Minister's Office and some presidential aides.

On Sunday, Lee Young-ho, presidential secretary for employment and labor-management relations, resigned amid allegations that he helped mastermind an illegal investigation of a businessman critical of the Lee administration.

Chung In-chul, secretary for policy planning and coordination, who had been under fire for allegedly abusing his authority to influence the appointments of CEOs of state-owned firms and financial institutions, also stepped down the following day.

Following the reshuffle of his secretaries, President Lee is also expected to conduct a sweeping Cabinet shakeup around the by-elections.

Born in 1956 in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province, Baek, the new policy chief, has long served as an economic advisor to Lee.

He was president of the Seoul Development Institute, which is run by Seoul City, when President Lee served as Seoul mayor from 2002 to 2006.

He was appointed chairman of the Fair Trade Commission following Lee's inauguration in early 2008 and became the NTS chief in July last year.

The new secretary for political affairs Chung, a native of Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, served as the Washington correspondent of the Hankook Ilbo, a sister paper of The Korea Times, before being elected as a lawmaker in his hometown in 2000 on the ticket of the Liberal Democratic Party, the predecessor of the minor opposition Liberty Forward Party.

He joined the GNP before the 2007 presidential election and helped Lee's campaign.

The new secretary for social integration Park, a devout Christian, is tasked to strengthen dialogue and policy coordination with opposition parties, civic organizations and religious groups. The post was newly created in the presidential office reorganization last week. He was born in Chilgok, North Gyeongsang Province.

백용호 국세청장, 청와대 정책실장으로

이명박 대통령은 화요일 백용호 국세청장을 청와대 정책실장으로, 정진석 국회 정보위원장을 정무수석으로, 박인주 평생교육진흥원장을 사회통합수석으로, 김희정 한국인터넷진흥원장을 대변인으로 임명했다.

백용호씨는 윤직식씨 후임으로 충남 보령 출신이며 이 대통령의 오랜 경제 조언자로써 서울시장 때부터 서울시정개발연구원장으로 조언을 해 주었었다.

신임 정 정무수석은 충남 공주 출신으로 한국일보 기자를 지낸 3선 의원이다.

신임 박 수석은 경북 칠곡에서 태어나 한국시민단체협의회 감사, 흥사단 이사장, 공명선거시민실천협의회 상임대표 등을 지냈으며 독실한 크리스쳔이다.

신임 김 대변인은 부산출신으로 한나라당 디지털정당위원회 위원장 및 원내부대표, 디지털국회 자문위원 및 17대 국회의원을 지냈다. 특히 17대 최연소 국회의원이었다.