| 외교부 外交部 Oegyobu | |
 | |
 MOFA headquarters in Seoul | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 17 July 1948 |
| Preceding agencies |
|
| Jurisdiction | Government of South Korea |
| Headquarters | 60, Sajik-ro 8-gil Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-787, South Korea 37°34′25″N 126°58′30″E / 37.573568°N 126.975080°E / 37.573568; 126.975080 |
| Annual budget | KR₩1,520 billion (about US$646 million) (2010)[1] |
| Minister responsible | |
| Deputy Ministers responsible |
|
| Parent department | State Council of South Korea |
| Child agencies |
|
| Website | Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ministry of Foreign Affairs (English) |
South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA; Korean: 외교부; Hanja: 外交部) is in charge of the country's foreign relations, as well as handling matters related to overseas Korean nationals. It was established on 17 July 1948.
Its main office is located in the MOFA Building in Jongno District, Seoul.[2] The ministry previously had its headquarters in a facility in Doryeom-dong in Jongno District.[3]
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was created in 1948 following the Government Organisation Law under the Rhee Syng-man administration.[4] It undertook matters of foreign policy, protection of overseas Korean nationals, international economy, treaties, diplomacy and the assessment of international and overseas public relations.[5] The top priority for the Ministry was initially to focus on the “international recognition of the new Korean government as the only legitimate one on the Korean peninsula”.[4] Shortly after the Ministry was established, overseas missions in the United States, the United Kingdom and France were set up.[5]
In 1963 the Educational Institute of Foreign Service Officers was established to further educate foreign public officials and improve their work efficiency.[6] In 1965 the Educational institute became the Research Institute of Foreign Affairs.[5] In December, 1976 the Research Institute was reorganised again to become the Institute for Foreign Affairs and Security.[6] In 2012, this institution developed into the Korea National Diplomatic Academy and has the largest research and training institution of its kind within South Korea.[5]
In 1998, the ministry's name was changed to Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT, 외교통상부), and it was given jurisdiction over external trade.[7] In 2013, it reverted to its earlier name of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs following Park Geun-hye’s reorganisation plan, and the responsibility for trade matters was handed over to the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, which was renamed the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE).[8] Due to this change, Office of the Minister for Trade was also relocated to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.[9]
The minister is supported by two vice-ministers, vice-ministerial-level chancellor of Korea National Diplomatic Academy and Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs.[citation needed]
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | President | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| 1 | 
|
Jang Taek-sang 장택상 張澤相 (1893–1969) |
15 August 1948 | 24 December 1948 | 131 days |  Syngman Rhee |
| 2 | 
|
Lim Ben C. 임병직 林炳稷 (1893–1976) |
25 December 1948 | 15 April 1951 | 2 years, 111 days | |
| 3 | 
|
Byun Young-tae 변영태 卞榮泰 (1892–1969) |
16 April 1951 | 28 July 1955 | 4 years, 103 days | |
| 4 |
|
Cho Chung-whan 조정환 曺正煥 (1892–1967) |
29 July 1955 | 21 December 1959 | 4 years, 145 days | |
| — | 
|
Choi Kyu-hah 최규하 崔圭夏 (1919–2006) Acting |
22 December 1959 | 24 April 1960 | 124 days | |
| 5 | 
|
Her Chung 허정 許政 (1896–1988) |
25 April 1960 | 19 August 1960 | 116 days |  Yun Bo-seon |
| 6 | 
|
Chung Il-hyung [ko] 정일형 鄭一亨 (1904–1982) |
23 August 1960 | 20 May 1961 | 270 days | |
| 7 | 
|
Kim Hong-il 김홍일 金弘壹 (1898–1980) |
21 May 1961 | 21 July 1961 | 61 days | |
| 8 | 
|
Song Yo-chan 송요찬 宋堯讚 (1918–1980) |
22 July 1961 | 10 October 1961 | 80 days | |
| 9 |
|
Choi Duk-shin 최덕신 崔德新 (1914–1989) |
11 October 1961 | 15 March 1963 | 1 year, 155 days | |
 Park Chung Hee (acting) | ||||||
| 10 | 
|
Kim Yong-shik 김용식 金溶植 (1913–1995) |
16 March 1963 | 16 December 1963 | 275 days | |
| 11 | 
|
Chung Il-kwon 정일권 丁一權 (1917–1994) |
17 December 1963 | 24 July 1964 | 220 days | Park Chung Hee |
| 12 | 
|
Lee Tong-won [ko] 이동원 李東元 (1926–2006) |
25 July 1964 | 26 December 1966 | 2 years, 154 days | |
| (11) |
|
Chung Il-kwon 정일권 丁一權 (1917–1994) |
27 December 1966 | 29 June 1967 | 184 days | |
| 13 | 
|
Choi Kyu-hah 최규하 崔圭夏 (1919–2006) |
30 June 1967 | 3 June 1971 | 3 years, 338 days | |
| (10) |
|
Kim Yong-shik 김용식 金溶植 (1913–1995) |
4 June 1971 | 2 December 1973 | 2 years, 181 days | |
| 14 |
|
Kim Dong-jo [ko] 김동조 金東祚 (1918–2004) |
3 December 1973 | 18 December 1975 | 2 years, 15 days | |
| 15 | 
|
Park Dong-jin 박동진 朴東鎭 (1922–2013) |
19 December 1975 | 1 September 1980 | 4 years, 257 days | |
Choi Kyu-hah | ||||||
| 16 |
|
Lho Shin-yong 노신영 盧信永 (1930–2019) |
2 September 1980 | 1 June 1982 | 1 year, 272 days |  Chun Doo-hwan |
| 17 |
|
Lee Bum-suk 이범석 李範錫 (1925–1983) |
2 June 1982 | 9 October 1983 | 1 year, 129 days | |
| 18 | 
|
Lee Won-kyung [ko] 이원경 李源京 (1922–2007) |
15 October 1983 | 26 August 1986 | 2 years, 315 days | |
| 19 |
|
Choi Kwang-soo [ko] 최광수 崔侊洙 (1935– 2021) |
26 August 1986 | 5 December 1988 | 2 years, 101 days | |
 Roh Tae-woo | ||||||
| 20 |
|
Choi Ho-joong [ko] 최호중 崔浩中 (1930–2015) |
5 December 1988 | 27 December 1990 | 2 years, 22 days | |
| 21 |
|
Lee Sang-ock 이상옥 李相玉 (born 1934) |
27 December 1990 | 26 February 1993 | 2 years, 61 days | |
| 22 | 
|
Han Sung-joo 한승주 韓昇洲 (born 1940) |
26 February 1993 | 24 December 1994 | 1 year, 301 days |  Kim Young-sam |
| 23 |
|
Gong Ro-myung [ko] 공로명 孔魯明 (born 1932) |
24 December 1994 | 7 November 1996 | 1 year, 319 days | |
| 24 |
|
Yoo Chong-ha [ko] 유종하 柳宗夏 (born 1936) |
7 November 1996 | 3 March 1998 | 1 year, 116 days | |
| 25 |
|
Park Chung-soo [ko] 박정수 朴定洙 (1932–2003) |
3 March 1998 | 4 August 1998 | 154 days |  Kim Dae-jung |
| 26 |
|
Hong Soon-young 홍순영 洪淳瑛 (1937–2014) |
4 August 1998 | 14 January 2000 | 1 year, 163 days | |
| 27 |
|
Lee Joung-binn [ko] 이정빈 李廷彬 (born 1937) |
14 January 2000 | 26 March 2001 | 1 year, 71 days | |
| 28 | 
|
Han Seung-soo 한승수 韓昇洙 (born 1936) |
26 March 2001 | 4 February 2002 | 315 days | |
| 29 |
|
Choi Sung-hong [ko] 최성홍 崔成泓 (born 1938) |
4 February 2002 | 27 February 2003 | 1 year, 23 days | |
| 30 | 
|
Yoon Young-kwan 윤영관 尹永寬 (born 1951) |
27 February 2003 | 17 January 2004 | 324 days |  Roh Moo-hyun |
| 31 | 
|
Ban Ki-moon 반기문 潘基文 (born 1944) |
17 January 2004 | 10 November 2006 | 2 years, 297 days | |
| 32 | 
|
Song Min-soon 송민순 宋旻淳 (born 1948) |
10 November 2006 | 29 February 2008 | 1 year, 111 days | |
| 33 | 
|
Yu Myung-hwan 유명환 柳明桓 (born 1948) |
29 February 2008 | 4 September 2010 | 2 years, 188 days |  Lee Myung-bak |
| 34 | 
|
Kim Sung-hwan 김성환 金星煥 (born 1953) |
8 October 2010 | 11 March 2013 | 2 years, 154 days | |
| 35 | 
|
Yun Byung-se 윤병세 尹炳世 (born 1953) |
11 March 2013 | 18 June 2017 | 4 years, 99 days |  Park Geun-hye |
| 36 | 
|
Kang Kyung-wha 강경화 康京和 (born 1955) |
18 June 2017 | 8 February 2021 | 3 years, 235 days |  Moon Jae-in |
| 37 | 
|
Chung Eui-yong 정의용 鄭義溶 (born 1946) |
9 February 2021 | 12 May 2022 | 1 year, 92 days | |
| 38 | 
|
Park Jin 박진 朴振 (born 1956) |
12 May 2022 | 10 January 2024 | 1 year, 243 days |  Yoon Suk-yeol |
| 39 | 
|
Cho Tae-yul 조태열 趙兌烈 (born 1955) |
11 January 2024 | incumbent | 167 days | |
The South Korean MoFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) is involved in creating environmental policies and working with countries around the world to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs). As such they are hosting the P4G Seoul Summit in late May 2021. The event will be done online due to the COVID-19 crisis, and will look into improving the current climate change situation. The summit will look into improving the global public-private cooperation.[10] The foreign minister Chung Eui-yong is particularly involved in this initiative as this has a significant impact on the relationship between the ROK and other countries such as the US and Denmark.[11]
June 2015 saw South Korea publish its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), an initiative by which countries focus on improving their environmental goals. The country set the aim of lowering emissions by 37% by 2030. As well as this, South Korea has participated in many initiatives to lower their carbon footprint such as the COP21 in Paris, ratifying the document in December 2015.[12] Korea has taken a ‘green growth’ approach to climate change but despite these efforts there was actually an increase in coal usage over the past decade. Predictions have shown that Korea is not likely to reach the set targets.[13] The MoFA, however, has been in close contact with Denmark to work together on their Green Growth Alliance (2011) in an attempt to make the P4G Seoul Summit a success.[14]
Politics
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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