China announced Wednesday that it has appointed a new work safety regulator after the position was vacant for more than a month, following a deadly mine accident in north China.

Luo Lin, 53, former deputy secretary of the Liaoning Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), became director and Party chief of the State Administration of Work Safety, the agency's website said.

Luo's name is on a leadership list posted on the site, which also publishes his resume. Luo has a master's degree in economics.

He was born in Liaoning and held Party positions in several cities of the northeastern province.

Wang Jun, Luo's predecessor, was appointed as acting governor of the northern coal-rich Shanxi Province in mid-September, when the former governor Meng Xuenong resigned after a massive landslide triggered by the collapse of an illegal mining dump killed at least 277.

The State Council, China's Cabinet, announced the decision to remove Wang from his post at the work safety administration in mid-November. Deputy Director Zhao Tiechui was responsible for the administration's work in the interim.

The position has drawn public interest and media attention with the country facing a grim picture in work safety, especially in the mines.

As of Dec. 28, there were 31 major accidents in coal mines, with 503 dead or missing, 120 more than the same period last year, according to the administration.

(Xinhua News Agency December 31, 2008)