New Korea Meteorological Administration Chief Appointed: Jang Dong-eon, "NASA-Trained Weather Expert"

Jang Dong-eon, a meteorological expert formerly with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), was appointed as the new Administrator of the Korea Meteorological Administration on the 27th.

Jang Dong-eon, the new Commissioner of the Korea Meteorological Administration. [Photo by Korea Meteorological Administration]

Administrator Jang was born in 1965 and graduated from the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at Seoul National University. He earned both his Master's and Doctoral degrees in Atmospheric Sciences from the same university's graduate school.

After working as a researcher at NASA, he joined the Korea Meteorological Administration in 2001 as a meteorological research officer. He has held various positions including Director of Numerical Forecast Development, Director of Forecast Research at the National Institute of Meteorological Sciences, Director of Meteorological Service Policy, Director of Planning and Finance, Director of Meteorological Service Promotion, Director of Earthquake and Volcano Bureau, Director of Planning and Coordination, and Deputy Administrator.

Administrator Jang laid the foundation for establishing a numerical forecasting system based on the UK Met Office's unified model, which has enabled South Korea to secure meteorological technology capabilities ranked among the top six worldwide.