Kim Tae-woo, former vice president of the Korea Institute of Defense Analyses, has been appointed president of the Korean Institute for National Unification, government officials said.

The appointment came at a board meeting of the Korean Research Council under the Prime Minister’s Office Friday, which named 61-year-old Kim the ninth head of its affiliated unification research institute. 

Kim will take office Aug. 8 and his term will last until August 2014. The institute is one of the nation’s leading think tanks on North Korea and national unification.

Founded in 1990, the institute has provided advice to government officials, and also conducted research on ways to foster peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula.

Having held key posts at the KIDA since 1990, Kim is well-known for his expertise in nuclear and missile technologies and North Korea-related issues.

At the Korea Institute of Defense Analyses, he led several important research projects related to a variety of defense and military issues as well as on arms control. Recently, he was a member of the presidential committee on defense advancement, which contributed to ongoing military reform.

Kim received a Ph.D. in politics from State University of New York in 1989. He earned his master’s degree from the Graduate School of Interpretation and Translation at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, and a bachelor’s from Yeungnam University.

He won a three-way race for the top post. The other contenders were KINU President Suh Jae-jin and World Institute for North Korea Studies President Ahn Chan-il, who is a North Korean defector.

By Lee Woo-young  (wylee@heraldcorp.com)