Acting President Choi Sang-mok hands credential to Korea's first ambassador to Cuba, Lee Ho-yul, during a ceremony in Seoul, Jan. 31. Yonhap
Korea on Friday appointed new ambassadors to 11 countries, including its first-ever envoy to Cuba, the foreign ministry said, in an overdue regular reshuffle amid political turmoil triggered by President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief martial law attempt.
Lee Ho-yul, a career diplomat serving as minister at the Korean Embassy in Mexico, will serve as the country's ambassador to Cuba, with which Korea established diplomatic relations in February last year, the ministry said in a release.
Bae Il-young, former director-general for information management at the foreign ministry, will take up the top envoy post to Slovenia, where Korea has newly opened its embassy.
Kim Hyon-du, minister-counselor at the Korean Embassy in the Philippines, will head the new embassy in Georgia, following the upgrade of the Tbilisi office.
Kim Jong-han, director-general of the department of Indo-Pacific studies at the foreign ministry-affiliated Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security, will lead the embassy in Latvia.
Others include Kim Dong-bae, ambassador to Bulgaria; Kim Hyung-tae to Serbia; Kwak Tae-yeol to El Salvador; Park Ki-chang to Ukraine; Kim Choon-goo to Italy; Kang Hyung-shik to Kenya; and Han Byoung-jin to Panama.
Kim Young-jae, former minister for economic affairs at the Korean Embassy in the United States, will serve as consul general to Toronto in Canada.
Friday's list did not include the top envoy to China, a post that has drawn attention in Seoul amid concerns that the prolonged vacancy could impact diplomacy with Beijing.
The formal appointment of Kim Dae-ki, the ambassador-designate to China and Yoon's former chief of staff, has been delayed due to Yoon's impeachment.
"It's best to avoid any vacancy in the positions," a foreign ministry official told reporters. "The ambassador to China holds significance and is one of the most important diplomatic postings that carries considerable political implications, so it requires careful consideration before a final decision is made."
Former Industry Minister Bang Moon-kyu, who has been widely speculated to be the next ambassador to Indonesia, was also not included in the list.
The announcement of the ambassadors came later than usual, as regular appointments of heads of foreign missions are typically made public twice a year -- around the beginning and end of each year.
The ministry plans to make an additional announcement on several other ambassadors next month, the official added. (Yonhap)
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