Chung Hae-moon, former Korean ambassador to Thailand, has been appointed as Secretary-General of the ASEAN-Korea Center on Thursday, the government said.

Established in March 2009 to boost ties between Korea and 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the center held its fourth annual council meeting in Seoul and appointed Chung, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Chung, replacing Cho Young-jai, will take office on March 13, the ministry said.

Chung, 60, joined the Foreign Ministry in 1977 after graduating from the Seoul National University as a trade major.

He worked at diplomatic missions overseas including in Greece, Austria, the U.S. and Nigeria.

(yoonmi@heraldcorp.com)