President Names 7 New Ministers in Cabinet Reshuffle

President Moon Jae-in on Friday named seven new ministers in a move to set his administration up for the second half of his term that will also replace the country's point man on North Korea.

Kim Yeon-chul, currently the head of the Korea Institute for National Unification, has been tapped as the new unification minister, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said.

Kim, 55, will replace Cho Myoung-gyon.

"Unification Minister nominee Kim holds great expertise and knowledge in inter-Korean economic cooperation and the North Korean nuclear issue as one of the few experts in inter-Korean relations with vast experience in both academics and the field," Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom told a press briefing.

"He is the right person to realize the New Korean Peninsula Regime aimed at building a joint community of peace and cooperation by pushing for the speedy implementation of inter-Korean declarations," the spokesman added.

Cho Dong-ho, a professor from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), was tapped to replace You Young-min as science minister, while Park Yang-woo, a professor from Seoul's Chung-Ang University, was nominated to become the country's new minister of culture, sports and tourism, replacing Do Jong-hwan.

The Cabinet reshuffle partly comes as four lawmaker-turned-ministers, including Do, are expected to run in...