Korb had been an MP since 2007, and he has been a party member since 1997. He has held the office of city councillor in Kohtla-Järve as well, on which since 2017 he has been Centre's leader.

"Valeri Korb is the winner of the full and open competition for the post of development advisor in Kohtla-Järve. There were several applications, however Korb's rich experience and his knowledge of the city and its problems got him his win. Now however, Korb will have to leave the Kohtla-Järve city council in order to do this job," Kohtla-Järve mayor, Ljudmila Janchenko, told ERR.

Korb's salary is in accordance with the city's current staff regulations and set at €2,700 gross per month.

The opposition on the Kohtla-Järve city council, however, was critical of Korb's appointment. Jelena Mutonen (SDE) said she is not surprised that the politician found a job in Kohtla-Järve. "Perhaps this advisor post is only the beginning. I wouldn't exclude the possibility that we might see him at an even higher position in the future", she commented.

Korb was granted the title of an honorary citizen of Kohtla-Järve in 2018 for his services to the city. In the general election on March 3, he ran on Centre's Ida-Viru district list, but with just 798 votes didn't get elected. In 12 years overall, Korb's votes tumbled fivefold, from 4,000 to 800. Part of this is commonly attributed to the fact that he played a role in getting a state upper secondary school to Kohtla-Järve that has been subject to plenty of controversies since.