Foreign Ministry appoints former ambassador to Kuwait as special envoy to Iran
Published: 10 Apr. 2026, 13:04
![Then-President Moon Jae-in, left, poses for a photograph with Chung Byung-ha, who was appointed as a Korean ambassador to Kuwait, at the Blue House in central Seoul on June 2021. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/10/c59a01ee-7860-40c6-a262-7ed852e3a202.jpg)
Then-President Moon Jae-in, left, poses for a photograph with Chung Byung-ha, who was appointed as a Korean ambassador to Kuwait, at the Blue House in central Seoul on June 2021. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday appointed former Ambassador to Kuwait Chung Byung-ha as its special envoy to Iran and will send him to Tehran soon to coordinate the safe passage of Korean vessels and nationals amid the Iran war, officials said.
The ministry announced the appointment of Chung, currently ambassador for polar affairs, a day after Foreign Minister Cho Hyun held phone talks with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi.
During the talks, Cho announced the decision to dispatch a special envoy to Iran to discuss the situation in the Middle East and bilateral issues between Korea and Iran.
A total of 26 Korea-related vessels remain stranded in the Strait of Hormuz under the control of Iran, which has said it will offer safe passage in coordination with its armed forces but is warning of attacks on ships attempting to pass without permission.
“With the dispatch [of the special envoy], the Foreign Ministry plans to share views on the Middle East situation and discuss passage not only for our nationals, vessels and crews but for all ships,” the ministry said.
Yonhap
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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