This combined file photo shows former Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha (left) and former top envoy to Vietnam Lee Hyuk. President Lee Jae Myung is expected to soon nominate Kang and Lee as South Korea’s ambassadors to the United States and Japan, respectively. (Yonhap)
President Lee Jae Myung is expected to soon nominate new ambassadors to the United States and Japan — posts left vacant since July — ahead of upcoming summits with the leaders of the respective countries, according to government sources.
Kang Kyung-wha, who served as foreign minister from 2017 to 2021 under the Moon Jae-in administration, is all but certain to be named Seoul’s next ambassador to Washington.
Lee Hyuk, who served as South Korea’s ambassador to Vietnam from 2016 to 2018 under both the Park Geun-hye and Moon Jae-in administrations, is likewise seen as the presumptive choice for ambassador to Japan.
The announcement of new envoys comes as President Lee is set to meet Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba during his two-day trip to Tokyo on Saturday and Sunday, and to hold his first summit with US President Donald Trump on Aug. 25 in Washington.
The process for the host country to formally recognize and accredit an ambassador generally takes around four to six weeks. However, in 2023, when Cho Hyun-dong was nominated as ambassador under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, Washington unexpectedly shortened its review period to around a week.
If the two current nominees are officially appointed after receiving accreditation, they are expected to take up their posts in Washington and Tokyo, though it is highly unlikely they will do so before the summit, according to a diplomatic source with knowledge of the matter who requested anonymity.
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If formally appointed, Kang will become South Korea’s first female ambassador to the US. She previously served as the country’s first female foreign minister.
Kang is currently the president and chief executive officer of the Asia Society, a New York–based organization dedicated to promoting understanding and strengthening partnerships between Asia and the United States.
Kang was appointed as the first foreign minister under the Moon administration and worked closely with the first Trump administration from 2017 to 2021.
During her time in office, Kang attended every summit between Presidents Moon and Trump. She also served as the counterpart to then-US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who spearheaded US-North Korea summits and traveled to Pyongyang on several occasions.
Before becoming foreign minister, Kang held senior UN posts — including senior policy adviser to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and deputy high commissioner for human rights — making her the highest-ranking Korean woman in an international organization.
Lee Hyuk is regarded as a veteran diplomat specializing in Japan affairs. He entered the Foreign Ministry in 1980 alongside national security adviser Wi Sung-lac.
Lee has held various roles, including minister at the Korean Embassy in Japan, director general for Asia-Pacific affairs at the Foreign Ministry, and ambassador to the Philippines and Vietnam.
Lee also served as secretary-general of the ASEAN-Korea Center. Recently, Lee led the Korea-Japan Future Forum, which promotes exchanges among lawmakers, journalists, academics and students from Korea and Japan.
During the latest presidential election, Lee helped shape Seoul’s Japan policy blueprint as part of the Advisory Group for Pragmatic Public Diplomacy, a network of former Korean ambassadors organized by Wi.
The appointments are expected to gradually fill important ambassadorial vacancies.
In July, all noncareer or specially appointed ambassadors under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, including Cho Hyun-dong, ambassador to the US, and Park Cheol-hee, ambassador to Japan, were ordered to return home within two weeks.
This left both missions with acting ambassadors. However, no new personnel have been sent to Washington or Tokyo to prepare for the upcoming summits, according to the unnamed diplomatic source.
Meanwhile, Chung Byung-ha, the Foreign Ministry’s ambassador for polar affairs, has been temporarily sent to South Korea’s mission to the United Nations to help prepare for the upcoming UN General Assembly, the source added.
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com
AloJapan.com