Gu Sang-chan, former lawmaker of the ruling Saenuri Party, is said to have been tapped as consul general in Shanghai, China.

“Gu was recently picked to fill the empty position of consul general to Shanghai. He is expected to take office late this month,” a Foreign Ministry official said Friday.

Gu is among the figures loyal to President Park Geun-hye.

In 2007, he was Park’s special adviser on public information, when she was one of the Grand National Party presidential nomination contenders. The Grand National Party was later renamed the Saenuri Party.

Gu was elected to the National Assembly as a GNP lawmaker representing a Seoul constituency in 2008, but lost his seat in 2012.

During the 18th Assembly, he gained knowledge and connections related to China as head of a group of lawmakers studying Korean and Chinese cultures.

Gu accompanied Park to China in February 2008 when she visited the country as President Lee Myung-bak’s special envoy.

By Chun Sung-woo (swchun@heraldcorp.com)