Education Minister nominee Lee Ju-ho Yonhap

President Yoon Suk-yeol named Lee Ju-ho, a professor at the Korea Development Institute and former education minister under the Lee Myung-bak administration, to be his new education minister, his office said Thursday.

If appointed after a parliamentary confirmation hearing, Lee will succeed Park Soon-ae, who quit in August, only a month after taking office amid public opposition to her plan to lower the elementary school starting age.

Though a confirmation hearing should be held, the appointment is not subject to parliamentary approval.

Yoon's first nominee for education minister, Kim In-chul, withdrew amid allegations of favoritism related to his family's reception of scholarships from a nonprofit organization. (Yonhap)