Ex-ambassador to Myanmar, New Zealand to lead ASEAN-Korea Centre

By Yi Whan-woo

Kim Hae-yong, Korea's former ambassador to Myanmar and New Zealand, has been appointed as the next secretary-general of the ASEAN-Korea Centre, the center announced.

A Seoul-based organization tasked with ASEAN cooperation, the center said Kim's appointment was confirmed during the 13th meeting of its council, held online on Feb. 9.

Kim Hae-yong, Korea's former ambassador to Myanmar and New Zealand, has been appointed as the next secretary-general of the ASEAN-Korea Centre. Yonhap

Kim, 64, will replace Lee Hyuk for a single three-year term beginning in mid-April.

A retired career diplomat, Kim served at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1983 to 2017.

He was the ambassador to Myanmar (2011-13) and New Zealand (2014-17).

His other overseas postings were in the United States, the European Union, Belgium, the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the U.N. office in Geneva.

Also a former director-general for FTA negotiations, Kim mainly worked on bilateral or multilateral trade when he served back home.

The annual council meeting was joined by high-ranking officials and ambassadors from 10 ASEAN member states and Korea.

The ASEAN-Korea Centre additionally has received four new officers, each a career diplomat, from Brunei, Laos, Malaysia, and the Philippines. They will each begin a three-year term in March.

“Through the leadership of the new secretary-general and valued contributions of the incoming seconded officials, the ASEAN-Korea Centre is expected to play an integral role in furthering a mutually beneficial partnership between ASEAN and Korea,” the center said in a statement.