(profile) Trade expert named S. Korea's new trade minister

Park Jung-sung has been appointed as South Korea's new trade minister on Friday. At 54 years old, he is a trade expert with a wealth of experience in the sector. Park completed his economics studies at Seoul National University and later earned a law degree from Nova Southeastern University in the United States. After passing the national civil service exam in 1996, he embarked on a career in the public sector. Throughout his career, he has held several significant roles in economic and trade policy.

Park played a crucial part in negotiations for the World Trade Organization's Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) Agreement and acted as the lead working-level negotiator for a task force addressing U.S. tariff discussions at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. He was appointed vice trade minister in November of the previous year, where he focused on trade and investment negotiations, especially with the United States.

With the ongoing trade disputes and efforts to promote investment projects in the U.S., Park is expected to be well-prepared to maintain continuity in negotiations.