South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs is carrying out a personnel reshuffle of its North America diplomatic line, replacing the economic minister and public diplomacy minister at the Korean Embassy in Washington, as well as the director-general for North American affairs at headquarters.
According to diplomatic sources on Monday, the ministry plans to replace the economic minister and public diplomacy minister among the minister-level positions at the Korean Embassy in the United States. Kim Sun-young, director-general of the Bilateral Economic Affairs Bureau, has been appointed as the new economic minister, while Yoon Joo-seok, director-general of the Overseas Koreans and Consular Affairs Bureau, has been named public diplomacy minister. Both are scheduled to take up their posts next month. A successor for the vacant political minister position is also expected to be appointed soon.
Ahn Se-ryoung, the current economic minister, and Kim Hak-jo, the public diplomacy minister, who have served at the embassy in Washington, are reportedly returning home to take on major roles at headquarters.
The director-general for North American affairs, a key position at ministry headquarters, has also been replaced. The ministry announced Monday through its director-general-level personnel appointments that Lee Won-woo, deputy director-general of the North American Affairs Bureau, has been named the new director-general for North American affairs. Nam Jin, deputy director-general of the Northeast and Central Asian Affairs Bureau, was appointed director-general of the Northeast and Central Asian Affairs Bureau, and Park Hyung-chul, deputy director-general of the European Affairs Bureau, was named director-general of the European Affairs Bureau. Oh Jin-hee, deputy director-general of the Asia-Pacific Affairs Bureau, was appointed director-general of the Public and Cultural Diplomacy Bureau, and Kim Seok-woo, deputy director-general of the Bilateral Economic Affairs Bureau, was named director-general of the Bilateral Economic Affairs Bureau.
"Those included in this reshuffle have served for a considerable period, and the changes are being made in line with the natural personnel rotation cycle," a Foreign Ministry official said. Regular personnel changes at the ministry had been effectively suspended since former President Yoon Suk-yeol declared emergency martial law on December 3, 2024.
Ambassadorial appointments to major diplomatic missions were also announced. The ministry said Kwon Hyuk-woon, ambassador to Senegal, has been named ambassador to France; Kim Jang-hyun, minister at the Korean Embassy in Japan, has been appointed ambassador to Kuwait; Yoon Sung-mi, former chair of the Senior Officials' Meeting for the 2025 APEC Summit, has been named ambassador to Geneva; Kang Seok-hee, international relations ambassador of Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, has been appointed consul general in Fukuoka; and Kim Sang-ho, former mayor of Hanam in Gyeonggi Province, has been named consul general in New York.
