Hong Jee-sun Appointed as South Korea's New Land Minister

SEOUL, Aug. 30 (Yonhap) -- Hong Jee-sun, tapped as the new land minister Sunday, is a seasoned government official with extensive experience in urban housing and transportation policy.

Hong, 56, studied civil engineering at Hanyang University in Seoul and earned a master's degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Birmingham in Britain.

He began his civil service career after passing the national civil service exam in 1996 and has since held several key posts in urban housing, construction and transportation policy at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government.

He worked with then Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae Myung, now president of South Korea, serving as the official in charge for urban housing and leading the province's housing policy and urban planning.

He was named vice land minister in December last year and has been tasked with overseeing the country's transportation and construction policies.

Hong is recognized for his extensive experience in formulating and implementing land, infrastructure and transportation policies over a long career at metropolitan-level local governments in the greater Seoul area.

He is expected to carry out the government's housing policies aimed at stabilizing housing prices and expanding housing supply.