Journalist-turned provincial governor named S. Korea's fgurehead premier

By Park Sae-jin Posted : May 10, 2017, 16:00 Updated : May 10, 2017, 16:00

South Jeolla Province Governor Lee Nak- yon as South Korea's figurehead prime minister by President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday. [Yonhap Photo]


A journalist-turned provincial governor was appointed as South Korea's figurehead prime minister to lead cabinet members for President Moon Jae-in who took office Wednesday after a comfortable election victory.

Moon picked South Jeolla Province Governor Lee Nak-yon as the prime minister who would be tasked with promoting the new leader's goal of national unity.

Lee, 64, was a former journalist who began his political career in 2000, using his ties with South Korea's late ex-president Kim Dae-jung. The four-term lawmaker who was elected as governor in 2014 has served as spokesman and senior cadres at political parties controlled by Kim and his successor, Roh Moo-hyun.

The ruling Democratic Party had been hit by internal fighting that led to the departure of anti-Moon members who formed a separate party last year with its own candidate, Ahn Cheol-soo, challenging Moon in Tuesday's election.

Moon revealed his determination to improve cross-border ties by naming his new chief of staff, Im Jong-seok, a former lawmaker who once headed anti-government campus activities in the 1980s.  Im, 51, was jailed for three and a half years for his unauthorized trip to North Korea and joined Kim's party in 2000 and served as vice Seoul mayor in 2014 before joining Moon's camp.

Suh Hoon, a 63-year-old former intelligence official, was named to head the National Intelligence Service, South Korea's main spy agency. He had visited Pyongyang many times to arrange summit talks between South and North Korean leaders in 2000 and 2007.  

Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com

 
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