By Park Si-soo
A Korean diplomat will be dispatched to the U.S. Department of State for one year in a personnel exchange program between the two countries.
This is the first assignment for a Korean diplomat to the U.S. department since the two nations signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in April to launch the exchange program, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Sunday.
The ministry said Kim Hye-jin, 29, a second secretary at a division dealing with denuclearization talks with North Korea, will be sent to the U.S. and the two allies are working on the details. The U.S. department has yet to select its first beneficiary from the program, it said.
“Kim’s deployment is clear proof of strong mutual trust between Seoul and Washington considering that the state department deals with a variety of diplomatically confidential information and Kim will have easy access to it,” a foreign ministry official said.
The U.S. department has run the exchange program with major allies including Britain, Germany, France and Japan, according to the ministry.
Kim majored in diplomacy at Seoul National University. She began work as a career diplomat in 2005 after passing a state-administered exam for diplomats. She has handled issues regarding the reduction of armaments, diplomatic protocol and North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.
Officials say Kim’s fluency in English is “on a par with” native English speakers despite having studied the language in Korea. Her fluency in English is largely attributable to her dedication, they said.
Kim said the rare experience will become a valuable asset in developing her career.
“I’m already thrilled to witness the decision-making process of the department,” she said in an interview.