Pres.-elect Park nominates six senior secretaries

President-elect Park Geun-hye on Tuesday nominated six senior presidential secretaries, including right-hand man Lee Jung-hyun as senior secretary for political affairs.

Cho Won-dong, head of Korea Institute of Public Finance, was named senior presidential secretary for economy and Choi Soon-hong, former head of the U.N. Information Communications Technology Department, was tapped as senior secretary for future strategies.

Also nominated were Mo Cheol-min, president of the state-run Seoul Arts Center, as senior secretary for education and culture; Choi Sung-jae, a Seoul National University professor emeritus, as senior secretary for employment and welfare; and Ju Chul-ki, secretary-general of the United Nations Global Compact Korea Network, as senior secretary for foreign affairs and security.

Lee had long been mentioned as a candidate for senior secretary for political affairs considering that he was the president-elect`s confidant.

Cho is a former government official who worked for the Economy and Planning Ministry with Hyun Oh-seok. A surprising choice, Choi has extensive overseas experience with his 30-year career at international organizations, including the International Monetary Fund. Choi and the president-elect are alumni of the electrical engineering department of Sogang University.

Mo, a former deputy minister of culture, sports and tourism, served as assistant administrator of the women and culture department of the presidential transition committee. Choi laid the groundwork for the next president`s welfare policies such as “welfare customized to the life cycle.”

With six days before its inauguration, the Park administration has finished nominating its three key leaders and nine senior presidential secretaries, many of whom are members of a pro-Park group, including presidential chief of staff Huh Tae-yeol and senior secretary for political affairs Lee Jung-hyun.

gaea@donga.com