President Moon Jae-in on Monday named Joo Hyung-chul as his new economic adviser. The post had been vacant since late January when Kim Hyun-chul resigned over controversy raised by his comments regarding opportunities in Southeast Asia. 

Joo heads the Korea Venture Investment Corp. Previously, Joo headed the Seoul Business Agency and worked as the chief of SK Communications.

Joo studied computer science at Seoul National University and received a master’s degree in management from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“Joo Hyung-chul is an IT expert whose advantage is the ample experience he has built working in the private sector for more than 20 years,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said in a statement.

“He is an economic expert who has experience in public policy such as founding of SMEs and venture companies, investment support and establishing (business) ecosystem.”

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)