Nominations of Korean envoys to US, China, Japan and Russia in making

This combined photo shows likely candidates for the incoming Yoon Suk-yeol administration's ambassadors to the U.S., China, Japan and Russia, respectively. From left are Cho Tae-yong, Chung Jae-ho, Yun Duk-min and Chang Ho-jin. Korea Times file

Yoon likely to fill crucial diplomatic posts with political appointees

By Nam Hyun-woo

There were no career diplomats named for the key posts in national security and foreign policy, including for foreign minister, in President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's earlier nominations for Cabinet ministers.

Yoon's alleged preference more for political appointees with years of experience in related fields over career diplomats may also continue in his forthcoming nominations of ambassadors to four crucial countries ― namely the United States, China, Japan and Russia ― often called in Korea “the four great powers” having a relatively greater say on Korean peninsula issues.

More civilian experts are emerging as the incoming Yoon administration's first ambassadors to these countries.

In the past, there were incoming presidents who gave diplomatic positions to politicians who helped his or her election campaign, as rewards for their services. It seems that President-elect Yoon is tapping into related experts and scholars ― many with previous experience in government ― for these jobs, in a bid to be practical in handling relations with those key diplomatic partners.

According to those with knowledge of Yoon's diplomatic team, Rep. Cho Tae-yong of the People Power Party (PPP) has been mentioned as the sole strong candidate for Seoul's ambassador to the U.S.

He is an exception in Yoon's alleged preference for political appointees for key diplomatic posts.

Cho, a diplomat-turned-lawmaker, served for more than 30 years as a career diplomat before he was elected a lawmaker.

Under the previous Park Geun-hye administration, Cho served as the first vice foreign minister and Cheong Wa Dae's first deputy director of national security. Before that, Cho was Seoul's chief envoy to six-party talks aimed to end North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

During his time in the Park administration, Cho mostly engaged in talks with key officials of the Barack Obama administration, including current Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Since many of these officials are now serving under President Joe Biden, pundits said that Cho has an advantage in forming networks with U.S. government officials.

Cho assisted Yoon's presidential campaign, helping him to design his foreign policy principle of having a stronger Seoul-Washington alliance as the basis of South Korea's diplomatic strategy.

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, second from left, poses with U.S. special representative for North Korea Sung Kim, third from left, during their closed-door meeting at the home of National Assembly Deputy Speaker Rep. Chung Jin-suk, left, in Dogok-dong, Seoul, on April 20. On right is Rep. Cho Tae-yong, who is Yoon's pick for the new South Korean ambassador to the U.S. / Courtesy of Yoon's aide

Other than Cho, however, related scholars are emerging as picks for ambassadors to China and Japan.

Among the contenders, Chung Jae-ho, a professor in Seoul National University's Department of Political Science and International Relations, has been mentioned as the most likely candidate for ambassador to China.

Chung is a China expert, with his particular interest being U.S.-China relations. He is now the director of the Program on U.S.-China Relations at Seoul National University's Asia Center, and joined Yoon's delegation to the U.S. last month.

Chung is assumed to be considered for the position as part of Yoon's intention to differentiate his ambassador nomination from that of President Moon Jae-in, who picked a close aide who was the administration's head of policy, as well as professor of business administration, as his ambassador to China, despite doubts over his expertise specifically in China relations.

For ambassador to Japan, former Korea National Diplomatic Academy Chancellor Yun Duk-min has emerged as a possible candidate. Yun earned his doctoral degree in law at Tokyo's Keio University and is known as a specialist in Seoul's relations with Japan. He was also one of Yoon's foreign policy advisors during the presidential campaign, and recently visited Japan as part of the president-elect's delegation.

For ambassador to Russia, former ambassador to Cambodia Chang Ho-jin is being mentioned for the nomination. Chang served as former President Lee Myung-bak's foreign policy secretary and as a political councilor at the South Korean embassy to Russia.