His official inauguration will take some time since he has to receive so-called "agreement" from Tokyo, a diplomatic procedure that could take up to 40 days.

Lee, who majored in law at Seoul National University, began his diplomatic career in 1978 and has accumulated his expertise mostly on Asia and Pacific countries at the foreign ministry.

He served as ambassador to New Zealand from 2006 to 2009 and also served as top envoy on India until 2015.

Lee's designation comes as South Korea is seeking follow-up measures on a deal agreed with Japan late last month to settle their decades-long dispute over its wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women.

Under the deal, Tokyo expressed an apology for its colonial-era atrocities and agreed to provide 1 billion yen ($9.1 million) for a foundation aimed at supporting the surviving victims, euphemistically called "comfort women."

The decision was hailed by the international community as a step in the right direction given that the comfort women issue has been a long-standing obstacle to ties between the two neighboring countries.

The deal, however, drew criticism from some victims and their supporters who said it lacked Japan's acknowledgment of legal responsibility. Others have said the agreement was reached without prior consultation with the victims.

Historians estimate that up to 200,000 women, mostly from Korea, were forced to work in front-line brothels for Japanese troops during World War II. About 40 South Korean victims, mostly in their late 80s, are currently known to be alive.

The Seoul government is currently pushing to launch the promised foundation by the end of June. (Yonhap)