President nominates new commerce minister

President Roh Moo-hyun nominated lifelong economic bureaucrats as his new commerce minister and top government policy coordination official, his aide said Thursday.

Roh nominated Kim Young-joo, current head of the Office for Government Policy Coordination (OPC), as his commerce, industry and energy minister, and Vice Science Minister Im Sang-kyu, as new OPC chief, said Park Nam-chun, presidential secretary for personnel affairs.

Kim replaced Chung Se-kyun, who resigned to focus on politics as a ruling Uri Party lawmaker ahead of December's presidential elections.

Kim, 57, held a string of top posts at the Finance Ministry and served as Roh's secretary on economic affairs, before taking up the Cabinet post.

Im, the new OPC chief, also held ranking posts at the now-defunct Economic Planning Board and the Ministry of Budget and Planning.

The National Assembly is to hold a confirmation hearing on the new commerce minister, but it does not have the authority to vote down the nomination and can recommend that the president reconsider it. The appointment of an OPC head is not subject to a parliamentary confirmation hearing.

Seoul, Jan. 4 (Yonhap News)