First lady gets a new secretary

Cho Hyun-jin

Cho Hyun-jin, a senior aide to the presidential secretary of educational affairs, was appointed yesterday to serve as the private secretary to the first lady.

The 47-year-old official joined the Lee Myung-bak Blue House’s public affairs team in 2009.

While serving the senior secretary for public relations, Cho was responsible for working-level duties on a wide range of tasks such as the president’s trips overseas and summits with foreign leaders. Before joining the Blue House, Cho worked as a reporter with the YTN network and chief of the news team at Arirang TV.

“Cho has a great understanding of the operation of the presidential office,” the Blue House said in a press release yesterday. “He’s also very responsible and has good communication ability and a strong work ethic.”

Cho is a native of Seoul and graduated from Clark University in the U.S.

By Ser Myo-ja [myoja@joongang.co.kr]