President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday named seven vice minister-level officials, including the chiefs of the Ministry of Personnel Management and Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

To head the Ministry of Personnel Management, Moon tapped Kim Pan-suk, a Yonsei University professor of public administration.

Kim has specialized in public administration and personnel management for much of his academic career and previously headed the Korean Society for Public Personnel Administration. He also served as a secretary to President Roh Moo-hyun. 

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety will be headed by Ryu Young-jin. Ryu is a pharmacist by training, and has taken part in various civic activities, including anti-drug campaigns.

Although ministers, the chiefs of personnel management and food and drug safety do not hold Cabinet posts and do not require parliamentary confirmation hearings.

For the post of Statistics Korea chief, Moon picked Hwang Soo-kyeong, an economist with expertise in labor issues who, according to Cheong Wa Dae, has reformist tendencies.

The president also named Lee Won-jae the head of the National Agency for Administrative City Construction, which oversees the development of the city of Sejong, and Lee Cheol-woo as the chief of the Saemangeun Development and Investment Agency.

In addition to the five heads of state organizations, Choi Byung-hwan was named the first vice minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, with Noh Hyeong-ouk named the second vice minister.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)