Park names ex-lawmaker as political aide

By Jun Ji-hye

Hyun Ki-hwan

President Park Geun-hye appointed former ruling Saenuri Party lawmaker Hyun Ki-hwan as her new senior secretary for political affairs Friday, according to the presidential office.

The appointment came 54 days after former secretary Cho Yoon-sun quit in May to take responsibility for the delayed progress in passing a bill to reform the public employee pension system at the National Assembly.

Presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook said, “Hyun is a qualified person to assist the President in communicating with politicians as he has distinct sociability and a large network of relationships.”

Hyun, 56, a native of the port city of Busan, served as a lawmaker from 2008 to 2012 after working at the Federation of Korea Trade Unions, one of the nation’s two largest labor unions with more than 650,000 members.

He is the fourth presidential secretary for political affairs in the Park Geun-hye administration after Park Joon-woo, Rep. Lee Jung-hyun and Cho.

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