Lee names veteran technocrat as first vice finance minister

President Lee Myung-bak named a seasoned economic technocrat as South Korea's first vice finance minister on Tuesday in a reshuffle that also affected three other vice ministerial jobs and three presidential secretaries. Shin Je-yoon, 53, vice chairman of the Financial Services Commission (FSC), was tapped as the first vice minister at the Strategy and Finance Ministry, presidential spokesman Park Jeong-ha announced. Shin is a veteran financial expert who has served in key posts at the ministry. Lee also named Choo Kyung-ho, presidential secretary for economy and finance affairs, to succeed Shin as deputy FSC chief, and promoted Lee Sam-kul, deputy home affairs minister, as the ministry's second vice minister, the spokesman said. Kim Chan, vice chief of the Cultural Heritage Administration, was promoted to head the agency, the spokesman said, after former chief Choe Kwang-sik was nominated as culture minister. Lee also elevated the presidential post handling his "green growth" campaign by a notch, and put secretary Kim Sang-hyeop as its head, while naming a senior finance official, Yoon Jong-won, as his economic and finance affairs secretary, Park said. Lee Ki-young, deputy chief of the Knowledge Information Security Industry Association, was also named as presidential secretary for new media affairs, Park said.