A senior Korean weatherman has been chosen to head the world weather body’s regional office for Asia, the Korea Metrological Administration said Monday.
Park Chung-kyu, 57, who currently serves as the director-general for planning and coordination at the Korean state-run weather agency, will assume the position of the director of World Meteorological Organization’s regional office for Asia and the South-West Pacific.
Park Chung-kyu
“It is the first time since the establishment of the KMA that a Korean official has won a high-ranking position at the global body,” the agency said in a press statement.
The WMO, headquartered in Geneva, is an intergovernmental organization specializing in climate, weather forecasting and disaster risk reduction.
Park will oversee its activities pertaining to the Asia and South-West Pacific region, where 58 of its roughly 190 member states are located.
Park earned his Ph.D. in atmospheric science from the Missouri State University in the United States and joined the KMA in 1996.
By Lee Sun-young (
milaya@heraldcorp.com)
