Exterior of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Yonhap

The aftermath of the botched martial law imposition has left 13 overseas diplomatic posts without appointed envoys, with four key positions remaining vacant for over six months.

Acting President Choi Sang-mok is expected to address the delayed appointments, initially planned for last year, around the Lunar New Year. However, some positions, particularly those requiring special envoys directly appointed by the president, may remain unfilled.

According to data submitted to Rep. Hong Kee-won of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, 12 ambassadorial posts, including in Indonesia, Italy and the Netherlands, are currently vacant. Additionally, the consul general position in Toronto, Canada, remains unfilled.

In particular, ambassadorial posts for Indonesia, Serbia and Bulgaria, along with the Toronto consul general post, have been vacant for more than six months.

The Netherlands' ambassadorial post has been under the temporary leadership of a charge d'affaires since August 2024.

For the Indonesian ambassadorship, Bang Moon-kyu, former minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, has been nominated. However, as a special envoy appointed directly by President Yoon Suk Yeol, the position is likely to be excluded from the upcoming appointments.

This means the vacancy could be prolonged further. Currently, the Indonesian Embassy is being led by Park Soo-deok, who is serving as charge d'affaires.

Challenges of filling special envoy roles

Special envoy appointments fall under the exclusive authority of the president, making it politically challenging for Choi to proceed with such nominations.

For this reason, Kim Dae-gi, who has been nominated as ambassador to China and has already received agrément, or the host nation's approval, has yet to be officially appointed.

Similarly, the position of ambassador to Saudi Arabia, vacant since Choi Byung-hyeok was nominated in December as the successor to former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, is expected to remain unfilled for the foreseeable future.

The main issue with delayed appointments of ambassadors or consuls general is that deputy ambassadors, ministers, or deputy consuls general step in as acting heads, but diplomatic protocol often limits their access to high-level meetings.

This inevitably disrupts high-level bilateral communication and information sharing. A similar situation occurred in 2021 when the appointment of the U.S. ambassador to Korea was delayed under the Biden administration, forcing officials from Korea's Foreign Ministry and the U.S. State Department to travel back and forth for direct communication.

Diplomatic circles anticipate that Choi will proceed with the appointments of nominees for ambassadorial positions from late last year by the end of this month or early next month. Most nominees are career diplomats who have already completed the agrément process.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.