From left are Hwang Joon-kook, Yun Duk-min, Chung Jae-ho and Chang Ho-jin, who have been appointed as South Korea's ambassadors to the United Nations, Japan, China and Russia, respectively. Courtesy of presidential office

President names ambassadors to Japan, China, Russia, completing lineup of envoys to 4 key foreign postings

By Nam Hyun-woo

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Tuesday named South Korea's ambassadors to Japan, China and Russia, completing the appointments of envoys to the country's four key foreign postings.

According to the presidential office, Yoon tapped Yun Duk-min, Chung Jae-ho and Chang Ho-jin as ambassador plenipotentiary to Japan, China and Russia, respectively. Former lawmaker Cho Tae-yong had already been appointed as ambassador to the U.S. on May 17.

They will work officially as ambassadors to those countries after presenting their credentials to the host governments.

Yun, appointed as ambassador to Japan, is a chair professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, and had been chancellor of the Korean National Diplomatic Academy during the conservative Park Geun-hye administration.

He has been vocal in the improvement of South Korea-Japan relations, calling for a prompt resolution of a conflict between the neighboring countries over Japan's World War II atrocities and compensation for wartime Korean laborers during Japan's forced occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945. That conflict was aggravated following the South Korean Supreme Court's 2018 ruling against Japanese companies and ordering them to compensate surviving South Korean victims of wartime forced labor.

During his speech at a conference hosted by the Nikkei last month, Yun said, "The Yoon government will not let Seoul-Tokyo relations aggravate further." At the time, he floated the idea of the South Korean government compensating the victims and collecting the money from Japanese firms by organizing a fund, adding it is his personal view.

"The most important task for the ambassador to Japan will be resolving the strained Seoul-Tokyo relations," an official at the presidential office said. "If he is officially appointed, I expect he will focus on this matter."