Han Man-soo, Fair Trade Commission

Han, 55, the newly appointed head of the Fair Trade Commission, is a former lawyer who worked for more than two decades at a top law firm, Kim & Chang, here in Korea.

Han is said to have gained extensive experience in tax and finance law while at Kim & Chang.

Han also previously had some experience in government when he served as an adviser for the Finance Ministry between 1998-1999, and at a number of other tax service-related posts within the ministry. Since 2011, Han has served as a deliberator for tax systems development at the ministry.

Since 2007, he has taught law at Ewha Woman’s University.

Han was a member of the ruling Saenuri Party’s government reform committee last year, during President Park Geun-hye’s election campaign.

Han was born in South Gyeongsang Province, and majored in law at Seoul National University. He passed the Korean state bar exam in 1980.

(jemmie@heraldcorp.com)

Je Jeong-boo, Government Legislation Ministry

Je, 59, deputy head of the Government Legislation Ministry, is an expert on legislative bill review and statutory interpretation who has worked for the ministry for the past 30 years.

A native of Goseong, South Gyeongsang Province, Je graduated from Donga University with a major in law. He passed the civil service exam in 1983 and served various posts within the ministry. Je is known as a man with focus and drive who gained the confidence of officials at the ministry.

Je is an open-minded man who has a warm heart, officials at the ministry said. Je has visited welfare institutions regularly and organized sports clubs with junior officials to communicate with them outside the office. He is also known as a close friend to Lee Chae-pil, former labor minister.

The Ministry of Government Legislation supervises overall legislative procedures of the government and provides legal information services to the public.

(christory@heraldcorp.com)

Park Sung-choon, Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs

Park, 65, inaugurated as minister of patriots’ and veterans’ affairs in February 2011, is the only top-level official who retains his job under the new Park Geun-hye administration.

During his time in the military, the former general and intelligence expert served in top command posts including in the 12th Infantry Division, the 9th Corps and at the Korean Defense Intelligence Agency.

Park retired in 2004, taking responsibility for a scandal over the leaking to the media of inter-Korean military communications recorded during the North’s violation of the Northern Limit Line, a de facto maritime border.

After retirement, he took educational and advisory roles as director at the Center for Movement of Defending Free Korea, visiting professor at Dankook University and chairman at the Council of Future Education for National Development.

He graduated from Korea Military Academy in 1971 and gained a master’s degree in North Korean Policies at the Graduate School of Public Administration, Kyung Hee University in 2002.

(sshluck@heraldcorp.com)

Chung Seung, Korea Food and Drug Administration

Chung, 55, a former vice minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, will head the state-run health authority currently under the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

Chung is assigned to lead the KFDA which will be transferred to the Prime Minister’s Office with an elevated status if the parliament passes the pending government reorganization bill. The agency is likely to play a bigger role in improving the nation’s food and drug management, which President Park Geun-hye has been calling for since her campaign.

Chung, a native of Wan Island, South Jeolla Province, graduated from Chonnam National University with a major in economics. He passed the high-level civil service exam in 1980 and served various posts in the ministry specializing in food management. Chung was tapped as vice minister of the ministry in 2010. He has been leading Korea Horse Industry Council, a private organization, since leaving the ministry.

(christory@heraldcorp.com)