Chung Un-chan, a former prime minister who now heads the Commission on Shared Growth for Large and Small Companies, will be appointed the first honorary mayor of the Jeju Global Education City (JGEC), the Jeju Free International City Development Center said Monday.

Chung will oversee the special district that is set to play host to world-renowned international schools, as it aims to become the educational hub of Northeast Asia.

According to the JDC, Chung’s appointment came as Jeju Gov. Woo Keun-min appreciated Chung’s abundant experience in the educational and political fields, which will be useful to the special district.

Chung’s prominence is expected to boost the region in attracting more famous international schools, the JDC said.

Currently in the 3.7 million-square-meter JGEC, the Korea International School and North London Collegiate School have been in operation since last September, and Branksome Hall Asia is scheduled to open in October.

Chung graduated from Seoul National University with a major in economics and worked at the Bank of Korea. He received his master’s degree at the University of Miami and a doctorate at Princeton. He worked as an economics professor at SNU from1978 and 2007, and from 2002 to 2006 he served as the school’s president.

Chung has also worked as an adviser to the Constitutional Court and the head of the President’s Council on National ICT Strategies before becoming prime minister in 2009. His post lasted until 2010. Chung became acquainted with the Jeju community when he led Korea’s National Committee for Jeju New7Wonders of Nature.

“Chung gladly accepted the offer,” the JDC said.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)