President Lee Myung-bak named Kwak Young-jin, his former secretary for cultural affairs, as the new deputy minister of culture, sports and tourism Wednesday.

Kwak, 54, formerly served as the director-general of the Arts Bureau and the Planning Bureau at the Culture Ministry.

Born in Cheongdo, North Gyeongsang Province, Kwak graduated from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

(hayney@heraldcorp.com)