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| Park Seong-jin, the minister-designate for the new Ministry of SMEs and Startups |
"One's faith and scientific belief can be different,"a government official said.
Park Seong-jin, 50, is a professor at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) and also CEO of POSTECH Holdings, a company owned by the school's Industrial-Academic Cooperation Group.
His nomination by Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday has sparked debate after his past position as director of well-known pseudoscience institute, "Korea Association for Creation Research," was revealed.
Park quit his position just a day before his nomination.
Creation science, which started in the U.S. in the 1960s, is regarded as a fundamentalist Christian movement.
It denies the theory of evolution and considers Biblical creationism to be a scientifically proven fact.
Many scientists view creation scientists as unscholarly.
Cheong Wa Dae clarified its view that religion and scientific conscience were separate, giving more weight to Park's expertise than his faith.
"Faith is not subject to qualification," a Cheong Wa Dae official told reporters on Friday. "If religious belief is a problem, I believe it is just to hear a candidate's explanation during the hearing preparation."
Amid the stir, Park postponed a media press conference that was scheduled for Saturday in Yeouido, central Seoul, to Monday, saying he needed time to prepare for the hearing.
If the National Assembly endorses Park's nomination, the Moon Jae-in administration will have finalized its full Cabinet ― more than three months after Moon's inauguration.
