Moon appoints 8 vice ministers

By Jun Ji-hye

President Moon Jae-in appointed eight vice ministers Monday, including the heads of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy and the Public Procurement Service.

Cho Byung-jae, former ambassador to Malaysia, was tapped as chancellor of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy. A graduate of Seoul National University with a bachelor’s degree in diplomacy, he previously served as a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman.

Cho Byung-jae

Cho worked for President Moon during the presidential campaign and led the effort to draw up Moon’s foreign affairs and security policies with National Security Council chief Chung Eui-yong.

“He gained a lot of knowledge and practical experience of foreign affairs,” presidential spokesman Park Soo-hyun said. “Cheong Wa Dae expects him to successfully lead the academy.”

Park Chun-sup, who previously served as budget office chief and spokesman at the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, was named administrator of the Public Procurement Service. He graduated from Seoul National University with a bachelor’s degree in international trade, and from the University of Manchester with a master’s degree in economics.

“With his hard work and strong drive, Park is a recognized expert in budget-related issues,” the spokesman said. “He is highly qualified and will fairly and effectively carry out procurement work and contribute to vitalizing the economy.”

Ki Chan-soo, former chief of staff of the Defense Security Command, was appointed as chief of the Military Manpower Administration. After graduating from the Korea Army Academy at Yeongcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, he also received a bachelor’s degree in business management and a master’s degree in public administration from Sungkyunkwan University.

“Ki is a military intelligence expert and has contributed to defense reform,” the spokesman said. “He is the right man to lead the conscription administration.”

Moon also appointed Ra Seung-yong, former president of the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, as chief of the Rural Development Administration. Ra has a master’s degree in agriculture and a PhD in horticulture from Korea University.

Kim Jae-hyun, professor of forestry and landscape architecture at Konkuk University, was tapped as minister of the Korea Forest Service. He has a master’s degree in agriculture from Seoul National University and a PhD in the same major from Japan’s University of Tsukuba.

“Kim will be able to put theory into practice and contribute to creating forest-related jobs,” the spokesman noted.

Nam Jae-cheol, vice administrator of the Korea Meteorological Administration, was promoted to head his administration. He received his bachelor’s, master’s and PhD degrees from Seoul National University in agriculture, meteorology and atmospheric science, respectively.

Oh Dong-ho, standing member of the Appeals Commission at the Ministry of Personnel Management, was appointed as the president of the National Human Resources Development Institute. He studied political science and diplomacy at Kyunghee University.

Moon also appointed Bae Ki-dong, professor of cultural anthropology at Hanyang University, as the head of the National Museum of Korea.