The government has appointed Lee Jung-hoon, diplomacy professor at Yonsei University’s Graduate School of International Studies, as a human rights ambassador, officials said Sunday.

Lee, who formerly worked for President Park Geun-hye’s think tank Ideas for Korea, will receive an official certificate of appointment Tuesday. He will replace Kim Yong-ho, whose term ended last month.

The government is said to have chosen him for the post as Lee has engaged in numerous activities to promote human rights in North Korea. He also served as a co-chairman of Save N.K., a civic group to protect North Korean refugees.

During a one-year term, a human rights ambassador is to participate in international conferences on behalf of the Seoul government to promote Korea’s human rights policies and offer advice to the government on policy improvement.

Lee is currently director of the Institute of Modern Korean Studies at the school and associate professor of international relations. He obtained a Doctor of Philosophy in modern diplomatic history from the University of Oxford in 1992.

By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldcorp.com)