President Park Geun-hye named a former vice chief of the home affairs ministry as its new minister on Friday, her spokesman said.

Kang Byung-kyu, who served as the second vice minister from 2009-2010 before leaving the ministry, has been nominated to succeed Yoo Jeong-bok as minister for security and public administration, presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook said.

Yoo quit earlier this week to run for mayor of Incheon in June's local elections.

The nomination is subject to a parliamentary confirmation hearing.

Kang is a technocrat who entered the government after passing the high civil service exam in 1978. He also served as deputy mayor of the southeastern cities of Daegu and Gyeongsan. Since 2011, he has worked as the inaugural head of the Korea Institute of Local Finance. (Yonhap)