South Korea appoints Park Jung-sung as trade chief and Choi Yong-chul as fire commissioner

President Lee Jae-myung has appointed Park Jung-sung as the new Deputy Minister for Trade and Choi Yong-chul as the new Commissioner of the National Fire Agency.

Park Jung-sung, a veteran official with nearly 30 years of experience in trade and commerce, previously served as the Assistant Minister for Trade. His background includes roles as the Co-Chair of the WTO Investment Facilitation Negotiations and a senior representative for the U.S. tariff negotiation task force. The administration noted that his expertise is expected to maintain continuity in critical trade negotiations, particularly regarding U.S. tariffs and investment.

Choi Yong-chul, the former Deputy Commissioner of the National Fire Agency, will lead the agency. With 27 years of experience spanning field rescue operations and policy departments, including serving as the acting head of the Gyeonggi-do Fire Disaster Headquarters, Choi is recognized as a specialist in fire administration and command.