President Park Geun-hye on Monday named an environment technocrat to head the state weather agency and a Harvard-educated scholar to lead the state history agency, her spokeswoman announced.

Ko Yun-hwa, 59, a former environment ministry official who also served as chief of the National Institute of Environmental Research, was named as head of the Korea Meteorological Administration, presidential spokeswoman Kim Haing said.

History scholar Lew Young-ick, 77, who earned his doctorate from Harvard University, was named as head of the National Institute of Korean History, Kim said.

Park also tapped Choi Young-ki, a labor affairs expert who served as head of the state Korea Labor Institute, as a standing member of the Economic and Social Development Commission, Kim said.

The commission, formerly known as the “Tripartite Commission” of labor, management and government, is a presidential advisory body designed to promote discussions and build consensus between the three sides on contentious issues affecting labor and businesses. (Yonhap News)