11 May 2017

News Story: New South Korean president makes important appointments after swearing-in

SEOUL, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Moon Jae-in was sworn in as new South Korean president on Wednesday and soon after an inaugural ceremony, he appointed new prime minister, intelligence agency chief, presidential chief of staff and chief of the presidential security.

Lee Nak-yon, an incumbent governor of South Jeolla province, was named as the first prime minister of the Moon government.

Lee, 65, is a former journalist who entered politics in 2000 and served as a four-term lawmaker.

He worked as spokesman for late liberal presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun. He was elected in 2014 as the provincial governor.

The prime minister nominee will be subject to the parliamentary hearing, requiring a parliamentary ratification to take office.

Im Jong-seok, 51, was named as presidential chief of staff. He is a two-term lawmaker who served as chief of staff for Moon's campaign team in the presidential race.

Im is a famous student activist in 1980s who visited a students' festival held in 1989 in Pyongyang, capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

For the visit, he was jailed for three and a half years. Under the national security law, it is illegal to visit the DPRK without advance permission from the government.

He entered politics in 2000 by joining the New Millennium Democratic Party, a predecessor of the current ruling Minjoo Party, and was elected as the youngest lawmaker in the year.

Im also worked for Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon as vice mayor on political affairs.

The inaugural ceremony was held at a main hall of the parliamentary building, just hours after the election results were confirmed by the national election commission. Moon won a landslide victory in the country's presidential race.

Right after the confirmation, his presidential power came into force as he has no usual transition period because of the impeachment of his predecessor.

Read the full story at Xinhua