The presidential office said Tuesday that it has no intention to interfere in the independence of Statistics Korea, the nation's main statistical agency.

In a regular briefing, presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said the top office never gave orders that could have hampered the independence of the agency under the watch of its former chief Hwang Soo-kyeong.

Announcing a vice-ministerial reshuffle on Sunday, the presidential office appointed Kang Shin-wook, a director at the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, as the new commissioner of Statistics Korea.

Opposition parties have criticized the appointment, saying the former chief was replaced after recent data by the agency, which had widened the scope of its surveys from this year, showed that income distribution had taken a turn for the worse.

The presidential spokesman denied the speculation that the former commissioner was fired so that Statistics Korea could produce data that better supports the government initiative on income-led economic growth.