President Lee Myung-bak has created the post of external strategy and planning aide at the presidential office to better deal with foreign affairs and trade issues, Cheong Wa Dae said Sunday.



He promoted Kim Tae-hyo, who served as presidential secretary for external strategies, to the new post, which will report to his senior secretary for foreign affairs and security.

“The post is intended to better assist the president in dealing with the changing situation on the Korean Peninsula after the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and the increasing number of trade and foreign issues,” Lee’s spokesperson Park Jeong-ha told reporters.

With the new post, the presidential office consists of a presidential chief of staff, a policy chief, eight senior secretaries and five planning aides.

By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldcorp.com)