Lim Sang-seop, former deputy minister of the Korea Forest Service, has been nominated as the new minister of the agency, the presidential office announced Thursday.

The 54-year-old is a seasoned forest expert with extensive experience in both policy and fieldwork. He joined the forestry agency in 1998 after passing the higher technical civil service examination and has held various positions within the organization.

The presidential office praised Lim as an expert who has contributed to enhancing disaster response systems, such as those for wildfires, stating "He is the right person for fostering the forestry industry and addressing climate change."

He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in Landscape Architecture from Seoul National University and his doctorate in forest resources management from the University of British Columbia.

Lim was selected as the South Korean delegate for the second Inter-Korean Forestry Cooperation Meeting in 2018. In 2019, Lim received the third-class Red Stripes of the Order of Service Merit in recognition of his contributions to the national forestry service.