Min Dong-seok, former vice minister of foreign affairs and trade, was named Tuesday secretary general of the Korean National Commission for UNESCO.

Min passed the foreign service examination in 1979 and served as first secretary of the Permanent Mission of Korea to the U.N. Secretariat and International Organizations in Geneva, first secretary of the diplomatic mission in the United States, and worked at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.

Min also worked as chief delegate on the WTO Doha Development Agenda, and as trade policy adviser to the agricultural minister.

Min was the chief delegate to the negotiations involving U.S. beef in the Korea-United States FTA talks in 2008, but resigned due to public opposition and protests surrounding U.S. beef imports.

Min will be in charge of the 2nd Korea and UNESCO World Humanities Forum, which will be held Thursday in Busan.

By Sang Youn-joo (sangyj@heraldcorp.com)