President Lee Myung-bak named technocrats as the new vice ministers for agriculture and environment Thursday in a minor reshuffle that also affected three other vice ministerial posts.

Lee also named actor-turned-former culture minister Yu In-chon as his special adviser.

Lee Sang-kil, a senior agriculture ministry official, was tapped as the ministry’s first vice minister, while Yoon Jong-soo of the environment ministry was also promoted to the ministry’s No. 2 post, senior presidential spokesman Kim Du-woo announced.

Finance ministry official Joo Yung-sup was named to head the Korea Customs Service and Woo Ki-jong, a senior official on the Presidential Commission on Green Growth, was selected to lead state-run Statistics Korea, Kim said.

Lee Ki-hwan, deputy head of the National Emergency Management Agency, was promoted as its chief, Kim said. 

(Yonhap News)