Ministry of Foreign Affairs (South Korea)

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

외교부 外交部 Oegyobu
Agency overview
Formed	17 July 1948
Jurisdiction	Government of South Korea
Headquarters	60, Sajik-ro 8-gil Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-787, South Korea 37°34′25″N 126°58′30″E / 37.573568°N 126.975080°E / 37.573568; 126.975080Coordinates: 37°34′25″N 126°58′30″E / 37.573568°N 126.975080°E / 37.573568; 126.975080
Annual budget	KR₩1,520 billion (about US$646 million) (2010)[1]
Ministers responsible	Chung Eui-yong, Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun, 1st Vice Minister Lee Taeho, 2nd Vice Minister
Child agencies	Korea Foundation Korea International Cooperation Agency Overseas Korean Foundation Korea-Africa Foundation
Website	Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ministry of Foreign Affairs (English)

South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) is in charge of the country's foreign relations, as well as handling matters related to overseas Korean nationals. It was established on 17 July 1948.

Its main office is located in the MOFA Building in Jongno District, Seoul.^[2] The ministry previously had its headquarters in a facility in Doryeom-dong in Jongno District.^[3]

History[]

The Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs was created in 1948 following the Government Organisation Law under the Rhee Syng-man administration.^[4] It undertook matters of foreign policy, protection of overseas Korean nationals, international economy, treaties, diplomacy and the assessment of international and overseas public relations.^[5] The top priority for the Ministry was initially to focus on the “international recognition of the new Korean government as the only legitimate one on the Korean peninsula”.^[4] Shortly after the Ministry was established, overseas missions in the United States, the United Kingdom and France were set up.^[5]

In 1963 the Educational Institute of Foreign Service Officers was established to further educate foreign public officials and improve their work efficiency.^[6] In 1965 the Educational institute became the Research Institute of Foreign Affairs.^[5] In December, 1976 the Research Institute was reorganised again to become the Institute for Foreign Affairs and Security.^[6] In 2012, this institution developed into the Korea National Diplomatic Academy and has the largest research and training institution of its kind within South Korea.^[5]

In 1998, the ministry's name was changed to Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT, 외교통상부), and it was given jurisdiction over external trade.^[7] In 2013, it reverted to its earlier name of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs following Park Geun-hye’s reorganisation plan, and the responsibility for trade matters was handed over to the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, which was renamed the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.^[8]

Organisation[]

The minister is supported by two vice-ministers, vice-ministerial-level chancellor of Korea National Diplomatic Academy and Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs.

List of ministers[]

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			President
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Chang Taek-sang 장택상 張澤相 (1893–1969)	15 August 1948	24 December 1948	131 days	Rhee Syng-man
2		[ko] 임병직 林炳稷 (1893–1976)	25 December 1948	15 April 1951	2 years, 111 days
3		Byeon Yeong-tae 변영태 卞榮泰 (1892–1969)	16 April 1951	28 July 1955	4 years, 103 days
4		[ko] 조정환 曺正煥 (1892–1967)	29 July 1955	21 December 1959	4 years, 145 days
—		Choi Kyu-hah 최규하 崔圭夏 (1919–2006) Acting	22 December 1959	24 April 1960	124 days
5		Heo Jeong 허정 許政 (1896–1988)	25 April 1960	19 August 1960	116 days	Yun Bo-seon
6		[ko] 정일형 鄭一亨 (1904–1982)	23 August 1960	20 May 1961	270 days
7		Kim Hong-il 김홍일 金弘壹 (1898–1980)	21 May 1961	21 July 1961	61 days
8		Song Yo-chan 송요찬 宋堯讚 (1918–1980)	22 July 1961	10 October 1961	80 days
9		Choe Deok-sin 최덕신 崔德新 (1914–1989)	11 October 1961	15 March 1963	1 year, 155 days
						Park Chung-hee (acting)
10		Kim Yong-shik 김용식 金溶植 (1913–1995)	16 March 1963	16 December 1963	275 days
11		Chung Il-kwon 정일권 丁一權 (1917–1994)	17 December 1963	24 July 1964	220 days	Park Chung-hee
12		[ko] 이동원 李東元 (1926–2006)	25 July 1964	26 December 1966	2 years, 154 days
(11)		Chung Il-kwon 정일권 丁一權 (1917–1994)	27 December 1966	29 June 1967	184 days
13		Choi Kyu-hah 최규하 崔圭夏 (1919–2006)	30 June 1967	3 June 1971	3 years, 338 days
(10)		Kim Yong-shik 김용식 金溶植 (1913–1995)	4 June 1971	2 December 1973	2 years, 181 days
14		[ko] 김동조 金東祚 (1918–2004)	3 December 1973	18 December 1975	2 years, 15 days
15		Park Dong-jin 박동진 朴東鎭 (1922–2013)	19 December 1975	1 September 1980	4 years, 257 days
						Choi Kyu-hah
16		Lho Shin-yong 노신영 盧信永 (1930–2019)	2 September 1980	1 June 1982	1 year, 272 days	Chun Doo-hwan
17		Lee Beom-seok 이범석 李範錫 (1925–1983)	2 June 1982	9 October 1983	1 year, 129 days
18		[ko] 이원경 李源京 (1922–2007)	15 October 1983	26 August 1986	2 years, 315 days
19		[ko] 최광수 崔侊洙 (born 1935)	26 August 1986	5 December 1988	2 years, 101 days
						Roh Tae-woo
20		[ko] 최호중 崔浩中 (1930–2015)	5 December 1988	27 December 1990	2 years, 22 days
21		Lee Sang-ok 이상옥 李相玉 (born 1934)	27 December 1990	26 February 1993	2 years, 61 days
22		Han Sung-joo 한승주 韓昇洲 (born 1940)	26 February 1993	24 December 1994	1 year, 301 days	Kim Young-sam
23		[ko] 공로명 孔魯明 (born 1932)	24 December 1994	7 November 1996	1 year, 319 days
24		[ko] 유종하 柳宗夏 (born 1936)	7 November 1996	3 March 1998	1 year, 116 days
25		[ko] 박정수 朴定洙 (1932–2003)	3 March 1998	4 August 1998	154 days	Kim Dae-jung
26		Hong Soon-young 홍순영 洪淳瑛 (1937–2014)	4 August 1998	14 January 2000	1 year, 163 days
27		[ko] 이정빈 李廷彬 (born 1937)	14 January 2000	26 March 2001	1 year, 71 days
28		Han Seung-soo 한승수 韓昇洙 (born 1936)	26 March 2001	4 February 2002	315 days
29		[ko] 최성홍 崔成泓 (born 1938)	4 February 2002	27 February 2003	1 year, 23 days
30		Yoon Young-kwan 윤영관 尹永寬 (born 1951)	27 February 2003	17 January 2004	324 days	Roh Moo-hyun
31		Ban Ki-moon 반기문 潘基文 (born 1944)	17 January 2004	10 November 2006	2 years, 297 days
32		Song Min-soon 송민순 宋旻淳 (born 1948)	10 November 2006	29 February 2008	1 year, 111 days
33		Yu Myung-hwan 유명환 柳明桓 (born 1948)	29 February 2008	4 September 2010	2 years, 188 days	Lee Myung-bak
34		Kim Sung-hwan 김성환 金星煥 (born 1953)	8 October 2010	11 March 2013	2 years, 154 days
35		Yun Byung-se 윤병세 尹炳世 (born 1953)	11 March 2013	18 June 2017	4 years, 99 days	Park Geun-hye
36		Kang Kyung-wha 강경화 康京和 (born 1955)	18 June 2017	8 February 2021	3 years, 235 days	Moon Jae-in
37		Chung Eui-yong 정의용 鄭義溶 (born 1946)	9 February 2021	Incumbent	205 days

Key diplomatic tasks[]

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs engages in a number of diplomatic tasks that primarily aim to build international relationships, promote peace and protect the Republic of Korea and Korean nationals. According to the ministry website, these tasks aim to fulfil the national vision of a ‘nation of the people, a just Republic of Korea’. They are summarised below as follows: ^[9]

• Peaceful resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue and the establishment of a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula

Diplomatically achieve complete denuclearisation and build a ‘permanent and solid peace regime on the Korean Peninsula’.

• Promotion of national interest through public and participatory diplomacy

Increase understanding and support of the Republic of Korea and its foreign policy through ‘strategic public diplomacy’ and encouraging public participation and communication.

• Pursuing assertive cooperative diplomacy with neighbouring countries

Proactively and assertively strengthen cooperation with China, Japan and Russia with the ‘alliance between the Republic of Korea and the United States of America playing a central role’. As a gateway to tackling the North Korean nuclear issue and Eurasian diplomatic relations, the strengthening of these relationships aims to create a foundation for permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.

• Establishment of a Northeast Asia+ Community of Responsibility

Establish the Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Platform and pursue its New Northern Policy and New Southern Policy with the aim of building a ‘peaceful and cooperative environment conducive to the long-term prosperity and survival of the Republic of Korea’.

• Strengthening economic diplomacy and development cooperation to promote national interest

Create an international economic environment, increase engagement with emerging market countries and actively respond to climate change. Cooperatively increase contributions to the international community enhance national interest.

• Strengthening the protection of Korean nationals traveling abroad and expanding support of overseas Koreans

Systemically protect and increase the benefits of Korean nationals residing abroad and ‘vitalize the Korean global network’ through strengthening their capacity.

2021 P4G Seoul Summit[]

The South Korean MoFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) is involved in creating environmental policies and working with countries around the world to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs). As such they are hosting the P4G Seoul Summit in late May 2021. The event will be done online due to the COVID-19 crisis, and will look into improving the current climate change situation. The summit will look into improving the global public-private cooperation.^[10] The foreign minister Chung Eui-yong is particularly involved in this initiative as this has a significant impact on the relationship between the ROK and other countries such as the US and Denmark.^[11]

June 2015 saw South Korea publish its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), an initiative by which countries focus on improving their environmental goals. The country set the aim of lowering emissions by 37% by 2030. As well as this, South Korea has participated in many initiatives to lower their carbon footprint such as the COP21 in Paris, ratifying the document in December 2015.^[12] Korea has taken a ‘green growth’ approach to climate change but despite these efforts there was actually an increase in coal usage over the past decade. Predictions have shown that Korea is not likely to reach the set targets.^[13] The MoFA, however, has been in close contact with Denmark to work together on their Green Growth Alliance (2011) in an attempt to make the P4G Seoul Summit a success.^[14]

See also[]

• MOFAT Diamond Scandal

References[]

External links[]

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs (English)