Son of ex-President Roh Tae-woo tapped as new ambassador to China

Roh Jae-heon, the eldest son of former President Roh Tae-woo, burns incense to pay tribute to late President Kim Dae-jung in front of Kim's tomb during a memorial service to mark the 16th anniversary of his death at the National Cemetery in Seoul, Aug. 18. Joint Press Corps

The eldest son of former President Roh Tae-woo has been tapped as Korea's new ambassador to China, a senior government official said Thursday.

If confirmed, Roh Jae-heon, 60, director of the East Asia Culture Center in Seoul, will become the first ambassador to Beijing under the Lee Jae Myung administration.

"I understand that Roh has been selected for the post, with working-level procedures currently in progress," the official told Yonhap News Agency.

Roh is neither a career diplomat nor a key political figure within the administration but has engaged in various activities related to China, including serving as an adviser to an international advisory council of the Chinese city of Chengdu in 2016 and participating in exchange programs.

An official of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea said the government is likely to have viewed him as a suitable figure to improve bilateral ties given his "expertise on China that he built up beyond what is publicly known."

Roh previously apologized over the brutal crackdown on a pro-democracy uprising in the southwestern city of Gwangju in 1980 on behalf of his father.