President names new foreign, finance ministers, chief security officials

SEOUL, May 21 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in on Sunday announced his picks for the new finance and foreign ministers, while appointing his new chief security advisor. Kim Dong-yeon, president of Ajou University, has been tapped as the new finance minister, who doubles as a vice prime minister, the president said at a press conference. The earlier-than-expected announcement apparently highlights the importance of economic problems the country is facing and the importance the chief executive places on the economy. Moon said he picked the Ajou University president as the new finance minister for his "ability to handle crisis and push for changes." "I thought Kim is the right person to handle the job at this particular time since he is a competent economic official who has proved his macro-level insight into and ability to control the economy while working in many important posts at the Ministry of Planning and Budget and the Ministry of Strategy and Finance," Moon said. "The most important consideration in the appointment of the vice prime minister for economy, who is the economic commander, is his ability to handle crisis and boldly push for changes." Signaling an imminent shift in economic policies, the president named Chang Ha-sung as his new chief of staff for policy, a newly created post at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae that is tasked with coordinating economic policies. Moon introduced him as "a prominent scholar of economics and activist who has consistently studied the economic inequality issue in the Korean society." Chang, currently an economics professor at Seoul's Korea University, has been asked to spearhead economic democratization and income-based growth in the new administration, Moon said. Still, the focus of the latest personnel reshuffle was centered on security as the president also named his nominee for new foreign minister, chief of the National Security Office and two special envoys on security and diplomatic issues. Kang Kyung-hwa, special advisor on policy to the U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, has been named to head the foreign ministry. Moon expressed hope that she would wisely handle sensitive pending diplomatic issues based on her expertise and network that she has built on the global diplomatic stage since she began working for the United Nations in 2006. The appointment of the diplomatic expert as foreign minister is also meaningful in achieving gender equality in the Cabinet, the president said. Chung Eui-yong, a former lawmaker and former ambassador to Geneva, has been appointed to head the National Security Office. Chung has been leading a special security advisory group for Moon since the president came into office on May 10. He also worked as head of the International Labor Organization (ILO). Moon said he picked Chung to the post in recognition of his "strong sense of security and diplomatic ability." Moon Chung-in, an honorary professor at Seoul's Yonsei University, and Hong Seok-hyun, former head of a local newspaper and former ambassador to the United States, have been named special advisors for diplomatic and security issues, Moon said. The president also named Kim Kwang-doo, a chair-professor at Seoul's Sogang University, as vice chair of the National Economic Advisory Council, presidential advisory panel on national economy. The finance and foreign minister nominees are subject to parliamentary confirmation hearings, but parliamentary approval is not required for their appointments. The new presidential officials and advisors, on the other hand, do not have to go through confirmation hearings. Their appointments, including those of the special advisors, were effective immediately following the announcement. Also on Sunday, Cheong Wa Dae announced President Moon's choices for vice justice minister, deputy chief of the state prosecution, and the chief presidential secretary for legal affairs. Moon named Lee Keum-ro, chief of the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office, the new vice justice minister and Bong Wook, who currently heads the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office, the deputy head of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. They will replace Lee Chang-jae and Kim Ju-hyun who resigned from the two posts, respectively, on Friday to assume responsibility for a corruption scandal involving their subordinates. The presidential office accepted the resignation over the weekend. Kim Hyeong-yeon, a former justice of the Seoul High Court, was tapped as Moon's chief secretary for legal affairs. "The appointment was made prior to the appointment of vice-ministerial officials of other ministries as the two offered to resign in connection with the recent scandal," the presidential spokesman Park Soo-hyun said. He said Moon went down to his private home in Yangsan, 420 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to contemplate future plans on how to manage state affairs, after the announcement. "President Moon is currently devising policy plans for the government while staying at his private home in Yangsan," Park said. "He will take a day off tomorrow and will return after attending the 8th memorial service for late President Roo Moo-hyun at Gimhae's Bongha Village on Tuesday." bdk@yna.co.kr (END)