Park Soo-jin, a former anchorwoman of an English-language broadcasting channel, has been named the new spokesperson for the South Korean ministry on North Korean affairs.

Park, 37, will be serving as the Unification Ministry vice spokesperson for two years, taking over from Lee Jong-joo, the ministry said in a statement this week. Park is the first non-ministry official to be named spokesperson. 

Park, who studied at Yonsei University in Seoul and Purdue University in the U.S., worked as a journalist and anchor at Arirang TV & Radio from 2002-08. Since 2009, she has worked as an English instructor at Anyang Science University.

The Unification Ministry said its decision was “based upon Park’s experience in journalism and understanding in international affairs.”

The ministry screened the resumes of 20 people who applied for the position from a variety of social sectors.

Four experts and three high-ranking ministry officials chose Park over other candidates based on an interview and a mock briefing.

By Shin Hae-in (hayney@heraldcorp.com)