Who is Korea's new trade minister, Park Jung-sung?

Park Jung-sung was appointed as South Korea's new trade minister on Friday. The 54-year-old expert in trade and related policy, holds a degree in economics from Seoul National University and a law degree from Nova Southeastern University in the United States. Following his civil service entry in 1996, Park has occupied several significant roles in economic and trade policy, including serving as a co-coordinator for the WTO's Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) Agreement negotiations and as the lead negotiator for a task force handling U.S. tariff discussions at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

In November of the previous year, he was promoted to vice trade minister. His responsibilities then included overseeing trade and investment negotiations, with a particular focus on those with the United States. Park's appointment suggests a strong possibility of maintaining continuity in ongoing trade negotiations, especially in light of recent trade disputes, including the promotion of investment projects in the United States.