Ambassadors to U.S., Japan, UN nominated ahead of key summits
Published: 19 Aug. 2025, 11:20
Updated: 19 Aug. 2025, 20:28
![Kang Kyung-hwa, left, former foreign minister, and Lee Hyuk, former ambassador to Vietnam, has been nominated by President Lee Jae Myung as Korea's ambassador to the United States and Japan, respectively. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/08/19/6a783d4f-39bc-47ac-bad9-d92d103fdce5.jpg)
Kang Kyung-hwa, left, former foreign minister, and Lee Hyuk, former ambassador to Vietnam, has been nominated by President Lee Jae Myung as Korea's ambassador to the United States and Japan, respectively. [YONHAP]
President Lee Jae Myung named Kang Kyung-wha, a former foreign minister who sparred with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration in his first term, as South Korea’s ambassador to Washington, ahead of Lee's first summit with Trump on Aug. 25.
The administration also plans to appoint Lee Hyuk, former ambassador to Vietnam, as ambassador to Japan and Noh Kyu-duk, former chief negotiator on North Korea, as ambassador to the United Nations.
“The government initially reviewed several candidates for Washington, but decided a heavyweight figure with recognition in the Trump administration was the most suitable choice, which led to Kang’s selection," a diplomatic source told the JoongAng Ilbo on Monday.
Kang served as the first foreign minister under the Moon Jae-in administration and was the first woman to hold the post. She worked closely with then–Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during Trump’s first term and played a key role in the 2018–19 period of inter-Korean and U.S.-North Korea summits.
Her resume also includes serving as special policy adviser to the UN secretary-general and assistant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. She is currently president of the Asia Society, a New York–based think tank focused on promoting ties between the United States and Asia.
The U.S. government is already processing her agrément, the formal approval of a foreign envoy.
Before his U.S. visit, President Lee will travel to Japan on Saturday. The government has tapped Lee Hyuk as the country’s first ambassador to Tokyo under Lee's administration.
![U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba [AP, EPA]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/08/19/755938cc-45e0-40b3-a325-ceb3a499dfe6.jpg)
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba [AP, EPA]
Lee Hyuk, a 'Japan expert'
Lee Hyuk, a career diplomat, helped design President Lee’s Japan policy during the presidential campaign through a network of former envoys organized by Wi Sung-lac, who later became national security adviser.
He previously served as minister at the Korean embassy in Tokyo, director-general for Northeast Asian affairs and head of the Asia-Pacific bureau. His ambassadorial postings include the Philippines and Vietnam, and he also served as secretary-general of the Asean-Korea Centre. He has been active for years in the Korea-Japan Vision Forum and the Korea Peace Forum, initiatives led by Hong Seok-hyun, chairman of JoongAng Holdings, to promote future-oriented relations with Japan.
President Lee’s choice of Lee Hyuk is seen as an effort to provide stability in relations with Japan, which have recently shown signs of improvement.
After President Lee ordered the recall of special envoys in late June, all five key ambassadorial posts — in the United States, China, Japan, Russia and the UN — have remained vacant. As summits with Washington and Tokyo approach, Seoul is expected to make the ambassadorial appointments official soon.
![Noh Kyu-duk, pictured in this photo taken on Oct. 25, 2021, has been nominated as Korea's ambassador to the United Nations. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/08/19/bb4751d5-a85e-45bc-b757-d3c1e1af61ba.jpg)
Noh Kyu-duk, pictured in this photo taken on Oct. 25, 2021, has been nominated as Korea's ambassador to the United Nations. [YONHAP]
Noh to the UN
Noh, who headed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Korean Peninsula Peace Regime bureau, has been nominated as ambassador to the UN.
South Korea is currently serving a two-year term as a nonpermanent member of the UN Security Council and will assume the rotating presidency next month.
The government is moving quickly on the appointment as President Lee is expected to attend the UN General Assembly high-level week in late September.
Noh’s career includes posts as ambassador to Nigeria, Foreign Ministry spokesperson, presidential secretary for peace planning, and director-general of peace diplomacy planning. He is regarded as an expert on North Korea’s nuclear issue and foreign policy more broadly, with a reputation for political acumen.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PARK HYUN-JU [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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