President Lee Myung-bak has appointed Kim Dae-ki, a bureaucrat-turned-professor, as his new senior secretary for economic affairs, Lee's office Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday.

   Kim, formerly the head of Statistics Korea and vice culture minister, replaces Choi Joong-kyung, who became the knowledge economy minister last month.

   Kim, 55, now serves as a professor at Seoul National University's Graduate School of Public Administration. He studied economics at the university.

   He passed the state exam to choose new public officials in 1978 and spent much of his career handling budget-related affairs.

   Kim worked as vice culture minister from 2009-2010 after leading Statistics Korea for a year.

   "As an expert on planning and budgeting with various work experiences and broad policy views, he is expected to fully fulfill his duty to assist in setting the direction for economic policy and coordinating policies among the ministries," Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman Kim Hee-jung said.

(Yonhap News)