Trade, welfare ministers nominated

By Kim Hyo-jin

Park Un-gyu

Cheong Wa Dae announced President Moon Jae-in’s pick for trade and welfare ministers, Monday, finalizing the list of his Cabinet.

Paik Un-gyu, a professor at the engineering department of Hanyang University, was nominated as minister of trade, industry and energy.

Paik, a 53-year-old energy engineering expert, served as a member of a special committee at the Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning and an adviser at the National Science and Technology Council, a policy-making body led by the prime minister.

Born in Masan, South Gyeongsang Province, he graduated from Hanyang University and earned a doctorate in ceramic engineering at Clemson University.

Park Neung-hoo

Park Neung-hoo, a professor who teaches social welfare at Kyonggi University, was tapped as the minister of health and welfare.

The 61-year-old scholar led the Korean association of Social Welfare Policy and the Korean Social Security Association.

Born in Haman-gun, South Gyeongsang Province, he studied economics and political science at Seoul National University. He obtained his doctorate in social welfare at the University of California.

Lee Hyo-seong, a professor emeritus at Sungkyunkwan University, was tapped as the chairman of the Korea Communications Commission. Choi Jong-ku, the head of the Export-Import Bank of Korea, was named as the chairman of the Financial Services Commission.

Moon also named Bahn Jahng-shick, the chairman of Sogang Graduate School of Managament of Technology, as a senior presidential secretary for job creation and Hong Jang-pyo, an economics professor at Pukyong National University, as a senior presidential secretary for economic policy.