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Korea Herald
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Lee taps next-gen officials for foreign policy team ahead of G7 trip
Former vice foreign minister under Moon reportedly set for top post President Lee Jae-myung's foreign policy team is taking shape ahead of his diplomatic debut at the G7 summit, with the surprising appointment of relatively young vice ministers in a break with Korea's long-established system of seniority. At the same time, veteran diplomat Cho Hyun, who previously served as both first and second vice minister, as well as UN ambassador, under the liberal Moon Jae-in government, concurrent with the first Trump administration, has all but secured his place as the leading candidate for foreign minister. The Foreign Ministry appeared to find the presidential office's announcement on Tuesday unexpected, as Park Yoon-joo — appointed first vice foreign minister — had a shorter career in the civil service than several officials who would now report to him. Park passed the 29th foreign service exam in 1995, making him 11 years junior to his predecessor, Kim Hong-kyun, who passed the 18th foreign service exam. In terms of years of service since passing the foreign service exam, Park is also the junior of the current deputy ministers for political affairs, protocol affairs, and planning and coordination — all of whom he now directly oversees. At the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, where a rigid seniority-based culture prevails, it is considered virtually unprecedented for someone so junior in years of service to be appointed as first vice foreign minister, overseeing bilateral affairs and personnel management. However, Park is not the youngest person to serve as first vice minister; the previous Moon Jae-in administration appointed Choi Jong-kun to the post in 2020 when he was just 46 years old. Park reportedly has a long-standing relationship with National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac, dating back to their time working together at the presidential office. When Wi was dispatched from the Foreign Ministry to the transition committee during the Roh Moo-hyun administration in 2002 and 2003, Park was serving at Cheong Wa Dae, the presidential office and residence also known as the Blue House. In 2004, when Wi was posted to Washington as minister at the South Korean Embassy, Park also served alongside him as first secretary at the same embassy. Park's most recent position was minister at South Korea's mission to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, but most of his career has been devoted to diplomacy vis-a-vis the US. Park has served as first secretary at the Embassy in Washington, director of North American Affairs, deputy consul general at the Korean Consulate General in Boston, deputy director-general at the Bureau of North American Affairs, and consul general in Atlanta. Kim: From academia Kim Jina, a professor in the Department of Language and Diplomacy at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, was appointed second vice foreign minister, overseeing multilateral and economic affairs. Born in 1979, Kim is also younger than most director-general-level officials who head the bureaus, serving as the ministry's backbone. Her predecessor, Kang In-sun, was born in 1964. Kim played an active role in the 'Responsible Global Power Committee,' which helped shape Lee Jae-myung's foreign, security and unification policies during his presidential campaign, serving as vice chair of the committee's Practical Diplomacy Subcommittee. The committee was co-chaired by Lee Jong-seok, the current nominee for director of the National Intelligence Service and former unification minister under the Roh Moo-hyun administration, as well as Rep. Cho Jeong-sik of the Democratic Party of Korea. "The international community hopes that Korea, as a responsible member, will be more involved in and contribute further to resolving global issues," Kim said in her inauguration speech Wednesday. "The reason the new administration set forth pragmatic diplomacy with the aim of becoming a globally responsible power is precisely to meet these demands of the times." Cho: Trade veteran Cho Hyun, a career diplomat with extensive experience in multilateral diplomacy and trade, has been tipped as the Lee administration's first foreign minister, according to multiple sources. Cho was active in the Responsible Global Power Committee as well as the Special Committee on Northeast Asian Peace and Cooperation, chaired by Wi, which serves as the Democratic Party's main body overseeing security affairs and North Korea issues. Cho's diplomatic career includes ambassador to India in 2015, as well as ambassador to Austria and permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna in 2011. Cho also held the post of deputy permanent representative to the UN in New York in 2006. Within the Foreign Ministry, Cho has held numerous high-level positions, including deputy minister for multilateral and global affairs, ambassador for energy and resources, and director-general of the Ministry's International Economic Affairs Bureau. Cho was involved in negotiations for a Korea-Japan free trade agreement and served as chief negotiator for the Korea-Mexico FTA. As ambassador to India — a major emerging market — in 2015, he worked to strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries.
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Lee's Foreign Ministry: Young vice ministers in, Moon-era No. 2 tipped for top post
President Lee Jae-myung's foreign policy team is taking shape ahead of his diplomatic debut at the G7 summit, with the surprising appointment of young vice ministers that breaks with Korea's long-established seniority system. At the same time, veteran diplomat Cho Hyun, who previously served as both first and second vice minister, as well as UN ambassador, under the liberal Moon Jae-in government and during the first Trump administration, has all but secured his place as the leading candidate for foreign minister. The Foreign Ministry was startled by the presidential office's announcement on Tuesday that Park Yoon-joo would be appointed as first vice foreign minister, as his serving period was shorter than that of officials who would now serve under him. Park passed the 29th foreign service exam in 1995, making him 11 years junior to his predecessor, Kim Hong-kyun, who passed the 18th foreign service exam. In terms of years of service since passing the foreign service exam, Park is also the junior of the current deputy ministers for political affairs, protocol affairs, and planning and coordination — all of whom he now directly oversees. At the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, where a rigid seniority-based culture prevails, it is considered virtually unprecedented for someone so junior in years of service to be appointed as first vice foreign minister, overseeing bilateral affairs and personnel management. However, Park is not the youngest person to serve as first vice minister; the previous Moon Jae-in administration appointed Choi Jong-kun to the post in 2020 when he was just 46 years old. Park reportedly has a long-standing relationship with National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac, dating back to their time working together at the presidential office. When Wi was dispatched from the Foreign Ministry to the transition committee during the Roh Moo-hyun administration in 2002 and 2003, Park was serving at the Cheong Wa Dae, the presidential office and residence, which is also known as the Blue House. In 2004, when Wi was posted to Washington as minister at the South Korean Embassy, Park also served alongside him as first secretary at the same embassy. Park's most recent position was minister at South Korea's mission to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, but most of his career has been devoted to diplomacy vis-a-vis the US. Park has served as first secretary at the Embassy in Washington, director of North American Affairs, deputy consul general at the Korean Consulate General in Boston, deputy director-general at the Bureau of North American Affairs, and consul general in Atlanta. Kim Jina, a professor in the Department of Language and Diplomacy at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, was appointed second vice foreign minister, overseeing multilateral and economic affairs. Born in 1979, Kim is also younger than most director-general-level officials who head the bureaus, serving as the ministry's backbone. Her predecessor, Kang In-sun, was born in 1964. Kim played an active role in the 'Responsible Global Power Committee,' which helped shape Lee Jae-myung's foreign, security and unification policies during his presidential campaign, serving as vice chair of the committee's Practical Diplomacy Subcommittee. The committee was co-chaired by Lee Jong-seok, the current nominee for director of the National Intelligence Service, an expert on North Korea and former unification minister under the Roh Moo-hyun administration, as well as Rep. Cho Jeong-sik of the Democratic Party of Korea. Cho: Trade veteran Cho Hyun, a veteran career diplomat with extensive experience in multilateral diplomacy and trade, has been tipped as the Lee administration's first foreign minister, according to multiple sources. Cho worked for the Responsible Global Power Committee, which was led by Lee Jong-seok, as well as the Special Committee on Northeast Asian Peace and Cooperation, chaired by Wi. The latter serves as the Democratic Party's main body for overseeing security affairs and for setting the direction of its North Korea policy and approach to the North Korean nuclear issue. Cho's diplomatic career includes ambassador to India in 2015, as well as ambassador to Austria and permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna in 2011. Cho also held the post of deputy permanent representative to the UN in New York in 2006. Within the Foreign Ministry, Cho has held numerous high-level positions, including deputy minister for multilateral and global affairs, ambassador for energy and resources, and director-general of the Ministry's International Economic Affairs Bureau. Cho was involved in the Korea-Japan free trade agreement negotiations and served as chief negotiator for the Korea-Mexico FTA. As ambassador to India — a major emerging market — in 2015, he worked to strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries.
NHK
2 days ago
- Politics
- NHK
South Korea's Lee to move presidential office back to historic 'Blue House'
The administration of new South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has decided to return the presidential office to the historic compound of Cheong Wa Dae, which had served as the president's office for more than 70 years. The administration announced on Tuesday that it approved the plan at a Cabinet meeting. The 250,000-square-meter compound, also known as the Blue House, sits in central Seoul. Often viewed as a "symbol of power" due to the president's authority, former President Yoon Suk-yeol relocated the office to what was the defense ministry building in 2022. But Lee had sought to move his center of operations back to the Blue House as the office has a strong connection to the ousted leader who declared martial law in December last year. The compound is currently open to the public for sightseeing visits. But officials say they plan to limit reservations from mid-July and temporarily suspend tours from August 1. South Korean media outlets suggest that the compound may be packed with tourists until then.
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
South Korea's Lee faces security challenges in ambitious plan to relocate presidential office
As South Korean President Lee Jae-myung pushes ahead with his ambitious plan to relocate the presidential office back to the historic Cheong Wa Dae complex, questions are mounting over the feasibility of completing the move within his stated 100-day timeline, particularly amid burgeoning security concerns. Advertisement Experts are sounding the alarm, emphasising the critical need for meticulous preparations. They cite a new generation of security threats, from increasingly sophisticated drones to the evolving risks posed by artificial intelligence, which necessitate comprehensive defensive strategies that might challenge a rapid transition. The concern is that a hasty move could compromise national security and the safety of the president, potentially creating vulnerabilities in a volatile geopolitical landscape. Full-scale discussions on relocating the presidential office are under way, as the new administration launched a dedicated task force on the first day of Lee's term. Efforts to return the office to Cheong Wa Dae, also known as the Blue House, are rapidly gaining momentum. The task force is led by Lee Jung-do, former presidential secretary for general affairs under the Moon Jae-in administration. Cheong Wa Dae has been open to the public since May 2022, when former president Yoon Suk-yeol moved the presidential office to Yongsan. Since then, the former presidential compound has become a popular tourist destination for both domestic and international visitors. Currently, most of the complex – including the main building, the state guest house and the helicopter landing pad – remains fully accessible to the public. While the decision to return the presidential office to Cheong Wa Dae is now confirmed, officials are increasingly concerned that completing the relocation within the originally planned 100-day timeline may prove challenging due to complex security issues. Advertisement Lim Jong-in, a professor of information protection at Korea University, emphasised the need for the government to prepare for a wide range of advanced threats, particularly those involving emerging technologies such as drones and cyberattacks.
Korea Herald
22-04-2025
- General
- Korea Herald
A multipurpose ‘mansion'
Call it what you will: A historic landmark or a run-down eyesore. Despite its weathered exterior, Yujin Mansion, also known as Yujin Sangga, was once the embodiment of modern, high-end living. With the term 'mansion' implying a high standard of living at the time, the building houses larger-than-typical units for the era, ranging from 109 to 221 square meters each. Built in 1970 in Hongje-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, it was one of the country's earliest mixed-use apartment complexes, designed to serve both residential and commercial purposes. Originally, the five-story complex consisted of two residential wings facing each other with a long courtyard in between. Wing A originally had 91 units, while wing B had 94. The ground floor of the building is the commercial section or 'sangga,' occupied by grocery, clothing and electronics stores. In 1994, the fourth and fifth floors of wing B were demolished to make way for an expressway overpass. The remaining portion of wing B now houses community centers while wing A continues to be home to 91 households from the second to fifth floors. This half-century-old structure has a long, low profile, spanning 220 meters in length and 44 meters in width, setting it apart from contemporary high-rise buildings. Yet, besides its residential and commercial functions, one can also see how the building's design was intertwined with the national defense concerns of the era. Strategically located on the outskirts of the capital, the complex, with its thick concrete walls and ground-floor columns designed to accommodate military tanks, was designed to be used as a massive barricade in the event of a North Korean invasion. It was alleged that the buildings acted as a giant military defense barrier: If the columns were detonated — intentionally by the South Korean military — the structure would collapse, blocking North Korean troops from moving further into the city and toward the then-presidential office and residence, Cheong Wa Dae. In 2019, Yujin Mansion, which was built over a 250-meter stretch of the Hongje Stream, opened an underground section that had been sealed off for 50 years. The space was transformed into an art exhibition as part of the Seoul Urban Art Project, featuring media art installations that reinterpret the area's history. Over the years, various attempts to tear down the building and others in the surrounding area have not come to fruition. But with a new plan introduced in late 2023, Yujin Mansion is approaching a pivotal moment. While redevelopment is moving forward — with designs to be chosen through public competitions — it remains unclear whether the building will be demolished or preserved in some form.
