Subscribe
E-Paper
 |
| President Moon Jae-in, center, enters a special strategy meeting on low carbonization at Cheong Wa Dae, Friday, with Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, left, and presidential Chief of Staff Noh Young-min. On the same day, Cheong Wa Dae replaced Moon's secretary for foreign policy, the latest in a series of changes in key posts dealing with foreign affairs. Yonhap |
By Do Je-hae
President Moon Jae-in changed one of his key personnel dealing with foreign affairs and diplomacy, Friday, ahead of an imminent Cabinet reshuffle.
He named Kim Yong-hyon, a former chief of the Korean Peninsula Peace Regime Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as presidential secretary for foreign policy, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Kim replaces Park Chul-min who has been named ambassador to Hungary after serving at the presidential office since March 2019. The presidential secretary for foreign policy under the National Security Office (NSO) is one of the key posts in charge of shaping the country's foreign policy.
 |
| The presidential office announced the appointment of Kim Yong-hyon as presidential secretary for foreign policy, Friday. He previously led a bureau for diplomacy with North Korea at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Yonhap |
The President's choice to name a career diplomat with experience in dealing with the North to the post is seen as reflecting Moon's focus on accelerating his push for engagement with Pyongyang despite entering the final phase of his presidency. His term will end in May 2022, but the momentum for driving state affairs is expected to end well before then, with the presidential election taking full hold of the public's attention next year.
Although President Moon has not mentioned his wish for a declaration to end the Korean War since U.S. President-elect Joseph Biden's election victory, he nonetheless has been actively pushing for other proposals to restore ties with North Korea back to their previous level at the beginning of his presidency, leading up to and after the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
In addition, Moon has been trying to get China's attention to his proposal for creating a Northeast Asia cooperative initiative. This was one of the topics during his meeting with Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi at Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday, according to the presidential office.
Earlier this week, Moon also switched Korea's envoy to Japan in a show of his firm resolve for a real breakthrough in bilateral relations next year.
Moon picked Kang Chang-il, a former four-term ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lawmaker and former leader of the Korea-Japan Parliamentarians' Union, to replace Nam Gwan-pyo, who has served in the post for about a year and a half. "With the launch of a new Cabinet in Japan, the appointment reflects the President's determination to resolve Korea-Japan relations," a presidential aide told reporters. It is the first time for Moon to name a politician to the post, rather than a career diplomat or an international relations expert.
Following the sudden transition, there has been rising media speculation that the President may be considering Nam as a future replacement for Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha. Nam served in Japan during the early phase of his career at the ministry. He is also known to have special ties to the President, having served as the second deputy director of the NSO before being named as Moon's second Korean ambassador to Japan in May 2019. The speculation is gaining ground given the urgency for Korea to improve ties with Japan ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in July 2021.
 |
| Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is seen ahead of her meeting with Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi at the ministry headquarters, Nov. 25. She recently came under media spotlight when she mentioned her 'limit in leadership' during a National Assembly session. Yonhap |
Moon has been eyeing the upcoming Summer and Winter Olympics hosted in Japan and China, respectively, looking for opportunities for diplomacy with North Korea and improving relations between North Korea and the U.S. "The President expressed his commitment to actively cooperate for the successful hosting of the Tokyo and Beijing Olympics, saying they will greatly contribute to peace and stability in Northeast Asia," presidential spokesman Kang Min-seok said in a statement after the President received Chinese Foreign Minister Wang at Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday.
Cheong Wa Dae is getting ready for a Cabinet reshuffle and one of the highlights will be whether Moon will change the foreign minister who has served since the beginning of his administration.
Kang has been criticized for her management of the ministry, which has been hit by several cases of sexual misconduct by ministry officials.
"If the people and the President assess that my leadership has reached its limit, then the President will make a fitting decision," Kang said during a session of the National Assembly, Oct. 26.
Also being mentioned in the diplomatic circle as a possible replacement for Kang are Rep. Song Young-gil of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, chairman of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee; and Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee, the first Korean to become a finalist in the race for the chief of the World Trade Organization. Rep. Song formerly led the Presidential Committee on Northern Economic Cooperation.
In August, Moon appointed Choi Jong-kun, a former presidential secretary for peace planning under the NSO, as first vice minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Choi played an important role in preparing the April 27, 2018 Panmunjeom Declaration during the first summit between Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
