Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
Yoon names new foreign minister, spy chief
National Intelligence Service Director nominee Cho Tae-yong, left, and Foreign Minister nominee Cho Tae-yul smile during a press conference announcing their nomination at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
By Nam Hyun-woo
President shakes up diplomatic, security teams as NK escalates threats
President Yoon Suk Yeol named the new chief of South Korea’s intelligence agency and foreign minister, Tuesday, in what appears to be an effort to ensure the continuity of his diplomatic policies amid escalating provocations and brinkmanship by North Korea.
Director of National Security Cho Tae-yong was tapped as the director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), a position which has been vacant after former chief Kim Kyou-hyun resigned last month apparently due to infighting over personnel affairs within the spy agency.
National Intelligence Service Director nominee Cho Tae-yong speaks during a press conference on his nomination at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
“Cho is a strategist who has served in the country’s key diplomatic and security posts, such as the first vice foreign minister, the first deputy director of national security and the ambassador to the United States,” presidential Chief of Staff Kim Dae-ki said during a press conference, highlighting his expertise in South Korea’s relations with the U.S. and security issues related to North Korea.
“As Cho has accomplished achievements in heightening South Korea’s international status and establishing an impenetrable security posture, we expect he will upgrade the country’s security and intelligence capabilities,” the chief of staff added.
The nomination is interpreted as a reflection of the president’s confidence in Cho, who is known for his gentle leadership style and diplomatic capabilities, so that he can stabilize the feuding at the NIS and swiftly fill the void in South Korea’s intelligence capabilities.
“The NIS is the backbone of the country’s intelligence, and it serves a critical role of providing correct information at the right time so that the country can make the right decision,” Cho said. “I will draw on the best that NIS members have to offer to upgrade the agency to a top-level organization that can compete with any international intelligence authority.”
Foreign Minister nominee Cho Tae-yul speaks during a press conference on his nomination at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
Foreign Minister Park Jin was also replaced by former Second Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul.
After serving as the South Korean ambassador to Spain, he became the first vice foreign vice minister during the conservative Park Geun-hye administration, showing strengths in multilateral diplomacy. He continued his diplomatic role as Seoul’s permanent representative to the United Nations and assisting the U.N. in placing sanctions on North Korea.
“Cho excels in multilateral diplomacy and trade between countries,” the chief of staff said. “The nominee's expertise in trade and diplomacy will be crucial in addressing diplomatic issues, given the complex interconnection between economic and security interests in the international environment.”
Park, the outgoing foreign minister and four-term lawmaker, is set to return to politics to run for a fifth term at the National Assembly.
“I will do my utmost to navigate the country’s diplomacy through the harsh external landscape, and dedicate myself to national security and prosperity,” the foreign minister nominee said.
Contrary to initial expectations, Yoon did not name the new director of national security. The chief of staff said Cho, the outgoing director, will continue serving the role until his confirmation hearing is completed.
The nominations appear to be aimed at continuing Yoon’s diplomatic and security strategies by filling vacancies in the intelligence agency and the foreign ministry with people familiar with the administration’s policies.
The announcement came amid worries over a possible vacuum in Seoul’s diplomatic and security capabilities as North Korea escalated provocations by launching a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile a day earlier.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said the launch showed what option he would take “when Washington makes the wrong decision,” according to the North’s official Korean Central News Agency.
Along with the new nominations, the chief of staff said the position of third deputy director of national security will be created under the director of national security, to be in charge of economic security.