Woo Sangho, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs:
"Announcement likely next week... Coordination ongoing with counterpart countries"
Lee Eonju and Kim Wooyoung considered for U.S. envoy team
Kim Jinpyo mentioned for Australia, Park Jiwon for Poland
President Lee Jaemyung is reportedly considering dispatching Kim Chongin, former emergency committee chair of the People Power Party, as a special envoy to the United States, and Chung Sye-kyun, former Prime Minister, as a special envoy to Japan. Park Byeong-seug, former Speaker of the National Assembly, is being mentioned as a potential special envoy to China. President Lee plans to send special envoys to a total of 14 countries to deliver his diplomatic messages and strengthen cooperation.
According to the ruling party on July 7, President Lee is considering including former chair Kim, as well as Lee Eonju, Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, and lawmaker Kim Wooyoung, in the initial special envoy delegation to the United States. Lee Eonju is reportedly the leading candidate to head the U.S. envoy delegation.
Lee Eonju has built ties with President Lee while serving as chair of the Future Economic Growth Strategy Committee within the Democratic Party. Kim Chongin served as the emergency committee chair of the Democratic Party during the 2016 general election. He has long been a senior statesman, active across both progressive and conservative political circles. Additionally, lawmaker Kim Wooyoung has experience leading the Democratic Innovation Council, a key pro-Lee Jaemyung organization.
The outlines of the special envoys to other countries, such as Japan and China, are also gradually taking shape following those for the United States. For Japan, former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun is reportedly being strongly considered. Lee Jaejeong, a three-term Democratic Party lawmaker, is also expected to be included in the envoy delegation headed by Chung. Chung Sye-kyun is a veteran politician who served as Speaker of the National Assembly during the first half of the 20th National Assembly and as the 46th Prime Minister under the Moon Jae-in administration. During the last presidential election, he served as a standing advisor to the Democratic Party's central election committee, contributing to the victory.
For China, Park Byeong-seug, former Speaker of the National Assembly, is being considered as a special envoy. Kim Jinpyo, another former Speaker, is being mentioned as a possible envoy to Australia, while lawmaker Park Jie-won is being discussed as a potential envoy to Poland. Lee Seokyeon, former head of the Ministry of Government Legislation, is reportedly set to be the envoy to Germany; lawmaker Choo Mi-ae to the United Kingdom; Kang Geum-sil, former Minister of Justice, to France; and Yoon Yeo-joon, former Minister of Environment, to the European Union (EU).
Although the composition of President Lee's envoy delegations is becoming clearer, the presidential office remains cautious about making the information public, citing the need for coordination with the respective countries. Woo Sangho, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs, said in a briefing that day, "We expect to dispatch envoys to 14 countries, but the number could be reduced," adding, "It is true that we are preparing the list of envoys and consulting with the relevant parties, but there are still too many unresolved scheduling issues with the countries and individuals concerned, so it is not yet time to make an announcement."
He continued, "If the information is made public before coordination with the counterpart countries is complete, it would be a diplomatic discourtesy, so we cannot confirm anything," adding, "The announcement will likely be made in about a week. Until then, we cannot officially confirm anything."
In response to a question about whether the U.S. special envoy delegation might play a role in the Korea-U.S. customs negotiations, Woo stated, "If they are dispatched, they will naturally make various efforts related to pending issues," adding, "We are continuing to open both official and unofficial channels, not only through the envoy delegation."
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