Seven Vice-Ministerial Officials Named

Appointments include commissioners of the Korea Customs Service and the Public Procurement Service

President Lee Myung-bak named seven vice-ministerial level heads of independent government offices including the Korea Customs Service on March 6.
New Korea Food and Drug Administrator
The Korea Food and Drug Administration announced March 7 Yoon Yeo-pyo, professor at the Pharmacy College of Chungbuk University has been named as its administrator.
FDA Administrator Yoon said in his inaugural speech that FDA has an enormous responsibility to see that no harm is done to the people from eating unhealthy food and using imperfect drugs. FDA can only do the job in full when its employees are a step ahead in executing their duties to prevent harm done to the people.
In order to that they ought to be creative in initiating ideas and concentrate their capacities, he said.
What are needed are changes in the way of thinking to realize administrative policies that meet the expectations of the people and move them.
Recalling President Lee's call for
"The government that works well,"and unnecessary regulations should be removed and have practical minds, the new FDA head said FDA needs workers with such minds. He said FDA should come up with policies that will help industry competitive through advancement of regulations and rationalization at this time when the nation is faced with a period of further opening with the signing of free trade agreements with many countries including the United States.
Seoul National University graduate with major in pharmacy, he earned a doctorate in pharmacy at the SNU Graduate School. He was vice chairman of the Food Hygienic Safety Academic Society since January, last year. He also was dean of the Pharmacy College of Chungbuk University in 2002.
New Administrator of the Small and Medium Business Administration:
With more than 28 years of experience in trade and industrial policies, Hong Suk-woo, 55, was appointed the administrator of the Small and Medium Business Administration on March 8. He has held various posts within the Ministry of Commerce,
Industry and Energy (MOCIE), the predecessor of the Ministry of Knowledge and Economy. Prior to this appointment, he served as the deputy minister for Trade and Investment Policy at MOCIE since March 2007 and as the standing commissioner of the Korea Trade Commission (KTC) at MOCIE since October 2006.
Hong began his career in the Korean government in 1980 as the deputy director at MOCIE's Semiconductor Division. In 1983, he was appointed secretary to the MOCIE vice minister and then became deputy director of the Trade Policy and Export Division in 1987.
From 1992 to 1995, Hong served as the Korean government's liaison officer at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). In 1998, he was dispatched as the commercial attache to the Korean Embassy in Washington, D.C.
In 1995, Hong was designated secretary to the Minister of MOCIE and became director of the Semiconductor Division in 1997. He also worked for the Small & Medium Business Administration (SMBA) as the administrator of the regional offices in Busan-Ulsan (2002) and Daegu-North Gyeongsang Province (2003), respectively. In 2004, he was appointed head of the Economic Cooperation Team under the Presidential Committee on the Northeast Asian Cooperative Initiative. He was promoted to director general for Public Information of MOCIE in 2005 and appointed director general for Electronics, Textiles and Chemical Industries at MOCIE in March 2006.
New Administrator of the Korea Forest Service:
Ha Young-je, 54, is the new administrator of the Korea Forest Service. His long career in public service focused on the home affairs ministry areas including a stint as vice mayor of Jinju city in South Gyeongsang Province. He was also the chief of Keochang County in South Gyeongsang Province. Ha was credited with notable leadership in every position he undertook, including director of the budget office of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Administration. He also shined as a management reformer in many areas of the home affairs ministry with an outstanding contribution to the surge of local economies.
He was responsible for attracting an integrated resort complex in Namhae County in South Gyeongsang Province as county chief. He is a graduate of Seoul National University with a major in agriculture.
New Commissioner of the Public Procurement Service:
Chang Soo-man, 58, the new commissioner of the Public Procurement Service is a former administrator of the Busan-Jinhae Free Economic Zone and recently served on the Presidential Transition Committee to help map out economic policies, popularly known as "MBnomics"for the new government led by President Lee Myung-bak. He was a member of the committee's first economic task force led by Kang Man-soo, who has been named the minister of Strategic Planning and Finance.
A career public servant who started his government service with the former Economic Planning Board, Chang is known for his fresh ideas and knack for drawing up plans.
A native of Busan, he graduated from Korea University and also studied at Brown University Graduate School in the United States.
New Commissioner of the Customs Service
Hur Yong-suk, 52, is a career public servant who spent many years on the tax administration side of the government with his last post being the director general of the Tax System Office of the Ministry of Finance and Economy.
Hur has been credited with successfully taking charge of various social issues related to the national tax system during his service with the MOFE under the participatory government of President Roh Moo-hyun.
He dealt successfully with such issues as the readjustment of income tax rates between tax brackets, and the transparency of corporate tax assessment, among others.
The new customs service commissioner said he will take any action to support the free trade agreement, the engine for national exports, and build and implement the e-customs system as early as possible.
During his inaugural speech on March 10, the commissioner said the customs service should be at the forefront of President Lee Myung-bak's vision to make the country an advanced one more than any other government organization.
Hur said the customs service has the task to make itself a top customs service in the world under the five-year plan set to reach maturity in 2010 to open the age of $1 trillion in foreign trade. nw

FDA Administrator Yoon Yeo-pyo

Chang Soo-man, commissioner of the Public Procurement Service.

Hong Suk-woo, administrator of the Small and Medium Business Administration.

Hur Yong-suk, commissioner of Korea Customs Service.