[Lee Jaemyung's Power Player] Wi Sungnak, Chief Architect of Diplomacy and Security, Leads National Security Office [AK Radio]

A Strategist Pursuing Balanced and Pragmatic Diplomacy
Experienced as Director-General of North American Affairs and Ambassador, Well-Versed in U.S. and Russian Affairs
President Lee Jaemyung Recruited Him After Repeated Attempts

So far, among the high-ranking officials of the Lee Jaemyung administration, Sungnak Wi, Chief of the National Security Office, is the only one who has met directly with U.S. President Donald Trump. While visiting The Hague, Netherlands, to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, Wi briefly spoke with President Trump. Wi stated, "President Trump showed great interest in Korea's shipbuilding industry." Wi also met with U.S. Secretary of State Mark Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi. They exchanged views on the Korea-U.S. summit and the future direction of Korea-Japan relations. Known for his strategic judgment and planning abilities, Wi is regarded as the 'architect of diplomacy and security' in the Lee Jaemyung administration.

Born in 1954 in Jangheung, South Jeolla Province, and raised in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, where he graduated from Namseong High School, he went on to study diplomacy at Seoul National University. In 1979, he passed the 13th Foreign Service Examination and joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He is a classmate of Cho Hyun, the current nominee for Minister of Foreign Affairs.

During the Kim Youngsam administration, Wi served as an administrator in the Blue House Office of Foreign Affairs and National Security, Director-General of the North American Affairs Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Minister-Counselor for Political Affairs at the Korean Embassy in the United States, and Special Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Under the Lee Myungbak administration, he was Chief Negotiator for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Ambassador to Russia. Having served as Director-General of the North American Affairs Bureau, Counselor and Minister-Counselor for Political Affairs at the Korean Embassy in the United States, he is well-versed in U.S. affairs.

In addition, he studied Russian at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, United States, and served as First Secretary at the Korean Embassy in Russia, Director of the Eastern Europe Division in charge of Russian affairs, and Ambassador to Russia, giving him deep insight into Russian matters as well. He is known for being calm and prudent, yet decisive.

Sungnak Wi, Director of the National Security Office at the Presidential Office, is meeting with Mark Rutte, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), at the World Forum Convention Center in The Hague, Netherlands, on the 25th (local time). Photo by Yonhap News

Wi has stated, "If China is pulling us toward the 9 o'clock direction and the United States toward the 3 o'clock direction, we should choose a policy that points around 1 or 1:30." He advocates a balanced and pragmatic diplomacy that maintains a strong Korea-U.S. alliance while also considering relations with neighboring countries such as China and Russia. He is often compared to the 'autonomy camp' and evaluated as part of the 'alliance camp,' but fundamentally, his approach is grounded in a 'Korean-style diplomacy.' Diplomatic circles agree that there is no one better suited to devise major diplomatic strategies.

His relationship with President Lee Jaemyung began during the 2022 presidential election. President Lee made repeated efforts to recruit him to the campaign, eventually appointing him as Chairman of the Practical Diplomacy Committee. After entering the National Assembly in 2024 as a proportional representative of the Democratic Party, he established and led a 'bipartisan forum for advanced diplomacy.' The diplomatic keywords he emphasizes are 'bipartisanship, national interest diplomacy, and strategic and policy-oriented diplomacy.'