President Lee Appoints Jungseong Park as New Trade Negotiations Minister Just Six Days After Yeo Hankoo's Dismissal

On August 21, President Lee Jaemyung appointed Jeongseong Park, Deputy Trade Minister at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, as the new head of the Office of Trade Negotiations. This appointment comes just six days after the dismissal of his predecessor, Hankoo Yeo.

Yujeong Kang, Chief Presidential Spokesperson, said in a written briefing released that day, "Head Park of the Office of Trade Negotiations is a seasoned trade official who has served in key positions throughout nearly 30 years in trade and trade policy, including Director General for Trade and Investment and Deputy Trade Minister at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy."

Jeongseong Park, Deputy Trade Minister of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (left), Yongcheol Choi, Commissioner of the National Fire Agency. Photo by Cheongwadae

Chief Spokesperson Kang stated, "We expect him to resolve complex trade issues through sophisticated negotiation strategies," adding, "He was in charge of overseeing practical negotiations on U.S. tariffs and investment agreements, and was deemed the right person to maximize the national interest by maintaining continuity in urgent trade negotiations with the United States."

On August 15 at midnight, President Lee exercised his authority to remove former head Yeo from office. This dismissal strips a civil servant of their official status, but the specific reason was not disclosed.

President Lee also appointed Yongcheol Choi, Deputy Commissioner at the National Fire Agency, as the new Commissioner of the National Fire Agency. Chief Spokesperson Kang introduced him as "a fire safety expert who has worked in both frontline rescue operations and core policy departments over the past 27 years, serving as acting head of the Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters and as Deputy Commissioner of the National Fire Agency, among other positions."

The commissioner position at the National Fire Agency had remained vacant for about two months since the dismissal of former Commissioner Kim Seungryong on June 15. Former Commissioner Kim resigned after being placed under an internal investigation over allegations of personal misconduct.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.