A South Korean sustainable development expert was elected as the new chief of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on Tuesday, the organization said.

Lee Hoe-sung, a Korea University professor known for his expertise in energy-environment policy, was selected to succeed Rajendra Pachauri as chairman of the U.N. panel in a vote at a meeting in Croatia, the IPCC said in a press release on its website.

Lee, 69, who has served as a vice chairman of the panel, was among six candidates for the position.

"I am honored and grateful that the panel has elected me as the IPCC's new chair," Lee said in the release. "The IPCC remains deeply committed to providing policymakers with the highest quality scientific assessment of climate change, but we can do more."

Lee is a brother of former South Korean Prime Minister Lee Hoi-chang. (Yonhap)