President Lee Jae-myung has appointed Park Jung-sung, current Deputy Minister for Trade at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, as the new Chief Trade Negotiator, Presidential Senior Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung announced in a written briefing.
The newly appointed Chief Negotiator Park will take charge of trade negotiations with the United States, succeeding former Chief Negotiator Yeo Han-koo, who was recently dismissed.
President Lee's selection of Deputy Minister Park—who has worked alongside the former chief negotiator on related duties—as a successor is interpreted as taking into account the critical circumstances, with concerns raised that the United States could step up trade pressure at any time, including hikes in mutual tariff rates.
Senior Spokesperson Kang introduced Park as "a figure who has been in overall charge of working-level negotiations on U.S. tariffs and investments, and the right person to maximize national interests while maintaining continuity in negotiations amid urgent pending trade issues with the U.S."
Kang further explained, "As a veteran trade bureaucrat who has spent nearly 30 years moving through core positions in trade and commerce policy, including serving as the Deputy Minister for Trade and the Director-General for Trade and Investment Policy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, he is expected to untangle complex trade pending issues through sophisticated negotiation strategies."
Choi Yong-chul, Deputy Administrator of the National Fire Agency, was promoted and appointed as the new Head of the National Fire Agency.
This comes about two months after former National Fire Agency Chief Kim Seung-ryong was dismissed following inspections over suspicions including overseas trips for leisure. This appointment can also be interpreted in terms of ensuring business continuity through internal promotion.
Senior Spokesperson Kang evaluated that "Chief Choi is a firefighting expert who has experienced both frontline rescue sites and core policy departments for 27 years, having served as the head of the Gyeonggi Provincial Disaster and Safety Headquarters and Deputy Administrator of the National Fire Agency," adding that "he possesses exceptional frontline command capabilities, operational drive, and abundant administrative experience."
Kang also stated, "We expect him to build a thorough disaster prevention and response system in accordance with the national policy goal of placing the lives and safety of citizens as the top priority across all areas of state affairs."
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.