Lee Dong-kwan, a former presidential secretary of public relations, has been appointed to a new post of ambassador for cooperation in public opinion and culture, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday.

The Cabinet also created another ambassadorial position for human rights during a meeting and appointed Kim Young-ho, a former unification aide and now a professor at Sungshin Women’s University in Seoul.

The two posts offer neither an office nor pay and last one year.

Lee is believed to be one of President Lee Myung-bak’s loyalists and was once called the “real power” within his circle. Known for his sharp tongue, he was replaced in July 2010 amid a series of controversies over a referendum on the administrative city of Sejong and allegations of real estate speculation, among others.

Lee’s reinstatement in Cheong Wa Dae is likely to invite criticism from opposition lawmakers. When he was named a special adviser on social affairs and media at the end of 2010, they called it a “typical revolving-door shakeup designed to do favors for the president’s associates.”

(heeshin@heraldcorp.com)