Yoo, 51, worked with President Moon under the former Roh Moo-hyun administration when he served as a secretary for public relations and head of the Cheong Wa Dae press center, known as Chunchugwan. Moon was then serving as the late former president's chief of staff.

However, the current head of a private public relations agency had since parted ways with Moon, once working as an election campaigner of Ahn Cheol-soo, a key election rival of Moon and former chief of what is now the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party.

The appointment also came shortly before the president held a meeting with the floor leaders of the ruling Democratic Party and four opposition parties, including the Bareunmirae Party, in which Moon was widely expected to call for bipartisan efforts to deal with various issues facing the country.

The three other new secretaries named Thursday had been working at Cheong Wa Dae.

Choi Woo-kyu, the former secretary for public relations planning, has been transferred to the post of presidential secretary for speeches, while Kim Bong-joon and Nam Yo-won were appointed the new secretaries for personnel affairs and cultural affairs, respectively. Kim and Nam have been promoted from their own respective offices. (Yonhap)