Park Yoonjoo, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs: "Pursuing Flexible Diplomacy... Respect Needed Regardless of Rank or Education"

Park Yoonjoo, the newly appointed First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs (age 55, 29th Foreign Service Exam), stated on June 12, "Diplomacy is not only a matter of national survival but is also directly connected to people's livelihoods." He emphasized, "We must overcome the inertia of the past and the temptation to simply follow precedents, and instead seek flexible diplomatic options that allow us to take the initiative in any situation." To this end, he urged, "Rather than relying on unilateral and top-down directives, we should develop logically robust policies through collective intelligence."

Park Yoonjoo, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, attends the inauguration ceremony held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 12th and participates in the national ceremony. 2025.6.12 Photo by Jo Yongjun

Vice Minister Park held his inauguration ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Seoul that morning, addressing staff by saying, "We must strengthen the democratic elements of dialogue and debate in the decision-making process within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs." He added, "I hope our organization (the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) will function like a small democratic republic devoted to the great democratic republic that is the Republic of Korea."

Reminding staff of the organizational culture of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the qualities of an 'ideal diplomat,' Vice Minister Park said, "When debating, I hope you will not simply agree with your superiors or colleagues out of concern for their opinions, nor be overly formal." He pointed out, "Not expressing your opinion in meetings does not make you a humble person; rather, it means you are not putting effort into your work and are intellectually lazy." He further requested, "I ask that each and every one of my colleagues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs maintain confidence as 'one person to another' and actively share your opinions."

Vice Minister Park, who passed the 29th Foreign Service Exam, is eleven years junior to his predecessor, former Vice Minister Kim Hongkyun (18th Foreign Service Exam). He is also junior to most of the current director-general (Grade 1) staff at the Ministry, leading to reactions that this appointment is 'unprecedented.' Aware of this, Vice Minister Park stressed, "Compared to other countries with similar economic sizes, our diplomatic workforce is limited, so we must pursue harmony and integration to maximize our capabilities." He added, "Regardless of area of expertise, rank, educational background, or origin, we must respect one another."

He continued, "While sophisticated language skills are important in the field of diplomacy, a humble approach that always listens and strives to keep even the smallest promises is an even greater asset." He warned, "Authoritarian and privileged attitudes not only make diplomacy more difficult, but also hinder internal unity and cause wasteful division."

Vice Minister Park also said, "I am not fond of the word 'originally'," explaining, "It reminds me of the complacency of settling for precedents without any thought." He went on to say, "With a critical yet humble attitude, we must break away from the past and develop realistic solutions, always considering that the diplomacy we have learned and thought about may not be true diplomacy at all."