Ministry of Foreign Affairs (South Korea) explained

Agency Name:Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Nativename A:외교부
外交部
Nativename R:Oegyobu
Formed:17 July 1948
Jurisdiction:Government of South Korea
Headquarters:60, Sajik-ro 8-gil
Jongno-gu, Seoul
110-787, South Korea
Budget:KR₩1,520 billion (about US$646 million) (2010)[1]
Preceding1:Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1948-1998)
Preceding2:Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (1998-2013)
Minister1 Name:Cho Tae-yul
Deputyminister1 Name:Kim Hong-kyun, 1st Vice Minister - Bilateral Diplomacy
Deputyminister2 Name:, 2nd Vice Minister - Multilateral Diplomacy
Parent Department:State Council of South Korea
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 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”. Shortly after the Ministry was established, overseas missions in the United States, the United Kingdom and France were set up.

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. In December, 1976 the Research Institute was reorganised again to become the Institute for Foreign Affairs and Security. 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.

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 (MOTIE).[8] Due to this change, Office of the Minister for Trade was also relocated to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.[9]

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.

Related organization

List of ministers

See main article: Minister for Foreign Affairs (South Korea).

PortraitName
Term of officePresident
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
1Jang Taek-sang
Korean: 장택상<br />張澤相
15 August 194824 December 1948
Syngman Rhee
2Lim Ben C.
Korean: 임병직<br />林炳稷
25 December 194815 April 1951
3Byun Young-tae
Korean: 변영태<br />卞榮泰
16 April 195128 July 1955
4Cho Chung-whan
Korean: 조정환<br />曺正煥
29 July 195521 December 1959
Choi Kyu-hah
Korean: 최규하<br />崔圭夏
22 December 195924 April 1960
5Her Chung
Korean: 허정<br />許政
25 April 196019 August 1960
Yun Bo-seon
6
Korean: 정일형<br />鄭一亨
23 August 196020 May 1961
7Kim Hong-il
Korean: 김홍일<br />金弘壹
21 May 196121 July 1961
8Song Yo-chan
Korean: 송요찬<br />宋堯讚
22 July 196110 October 1961
9Choi Duk-shin
Korean: 최덕신<br />崔德新
11 October 196115 March 1963

Park Chung Hee
10Kim Yong-shik
Korean: 김용식<br />金溶植
16 March 196316 December 1963
11Chung Il-kwon
Korean: 정일권<br />丁一權
17 December 196324 July 1964
Park Chung Hee
12
Korean: 이동원<br />李東元
25 July 196426 December 1966
(11)Chung Il-kwon
Korean: 정일권<br />丁一權
27 December 196629 June 1967
13Choi Kyu-hah
Korean: 최규하<br />崔圭夏
30 June 19673 June 1971
(10)Kim Yong-shik
Korean: 김용식<br />金溶植
4 June 19712 December 1973
14
Korean: 김동조<br />金東祚
3 December 197318 December 1975
15Park Dong-jin
Korean: 박동진<br />朴東鎭
19 December 19751 September 1980

Choi Kyu-hah
16Lho Shin-yong
Korean: 노신영<br />盧信永
2 September 19801 June 1982
Chun Doo-hwan
17Lee Bum-suk
Korean: 이범석<br />李範錫
2 June 19829 October 1983
18
Korean: 이원경<br />李源京
15 October 198326 August 1986
19
Korean: 최광수<br />崔侊洙
26 August 19865 December 1988

Roh Tae-woo
20
Korean: 최호중<br />崔浩中
5 December 198827 December 1990
21Lee Sang-ock
Korean: 이상옥<br />李相玉
27 December 199026 February 1993
22Han Sung-joo
Korean: 한승주<br />韓昇洲
26 February 199324 December 1994
Kim Young-sam
23
Korean: 공로명<br />孔魯明
24 December 19947 November 1996
24
Korean: 유종하<br />柳宗夏
7 November 19963 March 1998
25
Korean: 박정수<br />朴定洙
3 March 19984 August 1998
Kim Dae-jung
26Hong Soon-young
Korean: 홍순영<br />洪淳瑛
4 August 199814 January 2000
27
Korean: 이정빈<br />李廷彬
14 January 200026 March 2001
28Han Seung-soo
Korean: 한승수<br />韓昇洙
26 March 20014 February 2002
29
Korean: 최성홍<br />崔成泓
4 February 200227 February 2003
30Yoon Young-kwan
Korean: 윤영관<br />尹永寬
27 February 200317 January 2004
Roh Moo-hyun
31Ban Ki-moon
Korean: 반기문<br />潘基文
17 January 200410 November 2006
32Song Min-soon
Korean: 송민순<br />宋旻淳
10 November 200629 February 2008
33Yu Myung-hwan
Korean: 유명환<br />柳明桓
29 February 20084 September 2010
Lee Myung-bak
34Kim Sung-hwan
Korean: 김성환<br />金星煥
8 October 201011 March 2013
35Yun Byung-se
Korean: 윤병세<br />尹炳世
11 March 201318 June 2017
Park Geun-hye
36Kang Kyung-wha
Korean: 강경화<br />康京和
18 June 20178 February 2021
Moon Jae-in
37Chung Eui-yong
Korean: 정의용<br />鄭義溶
9 February 202112 May 2022
38Park Jin
Korean: 박진<br />朴振
12 May 202210 January 2024
Yoon Suk-yeol
39 Cho Tae-yul
Korean: 조태열<br />趙兌烈
11 January 2024incumbent

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

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade web page (Korean). dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20080428055940/http://www.mofat.go.kr/introduction/budget/index.jsp. 2008-04-28.
  2. "Location." (Archive) Ministry of Foreign Affairs (South Korea). Retrieved on January 1, 2014. "Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 60, Sajik-ro 8-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Korea (110-787)"
  3. "Home" (English). Ministry of Foreign Affairs (South Korea). February 28, 2009. Retrieved on January 1, 2014. "37 Sejongno (Doryeom-dong), Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-787, Republic of Korea"
  4. Choi. Kwang-jin. January 2019. The Republic of Korea's Public Diplomacy Strategy: History and Current Status. CPD Perspectives.
  5. Web site: HistoryMinistry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea. 2021-05-15. Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  6. Web site: 외교부 소개. 2021-05-15. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. ko-KR.
  7. Web site: 2010-12-06. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Republic of Korea. 2021-05-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20101206210140/http://www.mofat.go.kr/english/ministry/organization/history/index.jsp. 2010-12-06.
  8. Web site: 장 . 재순. 2013-03-28. English names of government ministries finalized. 2021-05-15. Yonhap News Agency. en.
  9. Web site: Energy . Ministry of Trade, Industry and . Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Homepage . 2024-05-19 . Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy . en.
  10. Web site: Promotional Campaigns in Full Swing as 2021 P4G Seoul Summit Reaches D-30 Point ViewPress Releases_ Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea. 2021-05-16. Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  11. Web site: 김 . 승연. 2021-04-27. Gov't holds preparatory meeting for P4G summit. 2021-05-16. Yonhap News Agency. en.
  12. Web site: Climate ChangeMinistry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea. 2021-05-16. Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  13. Web site: 2020-04-06. The Carbon Brief Profile: South Korea. 2021-05-16. Carbon Brief. en.
  14. Web site: Outcome of Telephone Conversation between Foreign Ministers of Korea and Denmark ViewPress ReleasesMinistry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea. 2021-05-16. Ministry of Foreign Affairs.