Ex-U.S. Ambassador Goldberg receives S. Korean state medal for role in bilateral ties

South Korea's Ambassador to the United States Cho Hyun-dong poses with former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg after awarding him the Gwanghwa Medal of the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit, at South Korea's Embassy in the U.S., Tuesday (local time). Yonhap

Former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg was awarded a state medal from the South Korean government on Tuesday for his contribution to improving relations between the two countries, Seoul's embassy in Washington said.

On behalf of the Seoul government, South Korea's Ambassador to the United States Cho Hyun-dong conferred the Gwanghwa Medal of the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit, the highest award in the category, on Goldberg who retired after decades of foreign service, including his ambassadorship in Seoul from July 2022 to January.

During a ceremony, Cho expressed deep gratitude to Goldberg for having made "great" contributions to the development of the bilateral relationship as the "strongest supporter" for the South Korea-U.S. alliance, the embassy said.

Goldberg said that he took pride in achievements that have been made in light of the bilateral alliance and trilateral cooperation with Japan.

Also attending the event were Seth Bailey, deputy special representative for North Korea at the State Department, and Scott Snyder, the president and CEO of the Korea Economic Institute of America.

Before retirement, Goldberg was a "Career Ambassador," the highest diplomatic rank in U.S. foreign service.

In Seoul, Goldberg supported the preparations for six South Korea-U.S. summits and five trilateral summits involving Japan.

He had undertaken various key posts at the State Department, including ambassadorship in Colombia, the Philippines and Bolivia, and the assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research.

He also served as coordinator for the Implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1874 on North Korea from 2009-2010 -- a period when he built his expertise on the recalcitrant regime.