Cho Hyeon-dong, the new ambassador to the United States, took office on the 14th (local time) ahead of President Yoon Seok-yeol’s state visit to the United States.
As a result, the embassy in the United States, which had been operated under the system of acting ambassador Kim Joon-gu, has returned to its normal operating system.
It is said that the new ambassador Cho started working immediately after entering Korea through Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C., in the daytime.
In a message sent to the correspondents after arriving in Korea, Ambassador Cho said, “I have been appointed as an ambassador for the first time in 10 years since I took office in early 2013.”
He said, “I will do my best to make the upcoming state visit of the president successful in all aspects in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the ROK-US alliance.”
He added, “I will try to become an ambassador who always communicates and listens.”
Ambassador Cho was appointed as the ambassador to the United States after former Ambassador Cho Tae-yong resigned on the 29th of last month, and Kim Seong-han, former head of the National Security Office, was appointed as the successor.
Ambassador Cho, who was nominated as ambassador to the United States on the 30th of last month in Korea time, is said to have completed the agrémant (prior consent of the host country for a diplomatic mission) process in a single-digit period, making him the shortest time among ambassadors to the United States in history.
It took only about 15 days for Ambassador Cho to take office after the appointment.
It is known that Ambassador Cho will start his activities after submitting a copy of his credentials on the 17th, and will issue his credentials to President Joe Biden on the 19th.
It seems that Ambassador Cho’s immediate task will be smooth preparation for President Yoon’s state visit scheduled at the end of this month.
President Yoon plans to hold a summit meeting with President Biden on the 26th, visiting the United States as a state guest for the first time in 12 years at the end of this month. On the 27th, President Yoon plans to address the U.S. Congress for the first time as a Korean president in 10 years.
Along with this, it is expected that the response to the suspicion of eavesdropping and wiretapping of the Korean presidential office by the US intelligence agency, which has been raised through confidential US government documents recently leaked online, is expected to be a pending issue.
(Washington = News 1)
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.