President Lee Myung-bak on Thursday named his senior economic aide to concurrently serve as chief policy secretary in a reshuffle that also affected four other positions at the presidential office, his spokesman said.

Senior Economic Secretary Kim Dae-ki was named to double as policy chief, one of the most senior positions at the presidential office, considering his expertise in fiscal policy and excellence in policy coordination, presidential spokesman Park Jeong-ha said.

Kim, a seasoned economic technocrat, joined the presidential office last year.

Personnel affairs secretary Kim Myung-shik was promoted to a newly created senior secretary level position on personnel affairs, while new media secretary Im Jae-hyun, a long-time aide to Lee, was named chief of the office playing the role of a personal secretary of the president.

Kim Bum-jin, an official of the senior political secretary’s office, was promoted as political affairs secretary, while Yim Sung-bin, an official of the office handling green growth, was promoted as secretary on climate and environment, a newly created post, the spokesman said. (Yonhap News)