South Korean President Park Geun- hye on Thursday nominated an IT expert to head the newly created Science Ministry, after a previous nominee withdrew amid a parliamentary impasse, media reported.

Choi Mun-kee, a professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, is tapped as the minister of future creation and science, a post newly introduced under the Park administration, according to her spokesman Yoon Chang-jung.

The 62-year-old IT expert now faces parliamentary confirmation hearings, with the opposition parties vowing a tough ride in parliament.

The previous nominee, Kim Jeong-hoon, resigned due to a standoff between Park and the opposition parties over her government reorganization plan.

Park also named four others to lead government agencies, including the Fair Trade Commission and the Korea Food and Drug Administration.