President Park Geun-hye on Wednesday tapped Kim Byong-joon, a senior presidential policy secretary in the Roh Moo-hyun administration, as the country's new prime minister, amid the rising demand for a personnel reshuffle following the Choi Soon-sil scandal.

The presidential office also tapped Yim Jong-young, head of the Financial Services Commission, as finance minister.

Kim, who currently works as a professor at the Kookmin University in Seoul, served as a senior aide to Roh. Park Seung-joo, who had served at the gender ministry, was also named to head the Ministry of Public Safety and Security upon the recommendation of Kim.

The reshuffle came amid the rising allegations that Park's confidante influenced state affairs without an official seat in the government, which has led to the public calling for the president to take responsible actions. 

(Korea Times)