"Kim, Experienced in Mass Economic Policies"
"Considering China's Significant Role in Diplomacy"
Attention on Whether Xi Jinping's Visit to Korea Will Accelerate
President Yoon Suk-yeol appointed Kim Dae-gi, former Chief Secretary of the Presidential Office (photo), as the new Ambassador to China on the 14th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
President Yoon Suk-yeol on the 14th appointed Kim Dae-gi, former Chief Secretary of the Presidential Office, as the new Ambassador to China.
Jung Jin-seok, Chief Secretary of the Presidential Office, held a briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office in the afternoon to announce this appointment.
Jung described the appointee Kim as "a seasoned economic bureaucrat with extensive government experience, having served as the Budget General Review Officer at the Ministry of Planning and Budget, Director of Fiscal Operations, Commissioner of Statistics Korea, Economic Secretary and Policy Secretary in the Lee Myung-bak administration’s Presidential Office, and the first Chief Secretary of the Presidential Office under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration."
He added, "The appointee has rich policy experience in promoting economic cooperation projects with China, such as the Korea-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and resolving Korea-China trade conflicts, having worked in economic ministries for a long time."
Furthermore, he said, "He has shown deep interest in Korea-China relations centered on economic issues, has immersed himself in Chinese social history and culture, and possesses excellent Chinese language skills. We expect him to not only continue to develop the strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries but also achieve diplomatic results befitting Korea’s status in the rapidly changing Northeast Asian order."
Jung also stated, "We plan to request agr?ment from the Chinese government for Kim today and will appoint him as soon as the agr?ment is granted."
If Kim, who served as Chief Secretary of the Presidential Office, is appointed as Ambassador to China, it is expected to have a positive effect on improving Korea-China relations, including a visit by President Xi Jinping to Korea.
President Xi has not visited Korea since his state visit in July 2014 during the Park Geun-hye administration. The government is reportedly promoting Xi’s visit to Korea in conjunction with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit scheduled to be held in Gyeongju in November next year.
A senior official from the Presidential Office explained, "Appointing a former Chief Secretary of the Presidential Office as the new Ambassador to China reflects the importance of China in our diplomacy and aims to further mature the bilateral relationship by continuing the recently active high-level exchanges between Korea and China."
Meanwhile, Ambassador Jung Jae-ho, who was appointed as the first Ambassador to China under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration in August 2022, will step down after about two years. Ambassador Jung, a classmate of President Yoon at Chung-Ang High School, was involved in controversies related to ‘gapjil’ (abuse of power) against embassy staff.
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