Park Yongman, Han Junho, and Kim Wooyoung Appointed as U.S. Envoys... Business Leader Included

Kim Chongin and Lee Eonju, Initially Considered for Special Envoy, Excluded from Final List

President Lee Jaemyung has reportedly appointed Park Yongman, former chairman of Doosan Group, as well as Han Junho, Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party of Korea, and lawmaker Kim Wooyoung, as members of a special envoy to the United States. The delegation is expected to be dispatched to the U.S. as early as next week.

According to ruling party sources on the 17th, President Lee has decided to form the special envoy with former Chairman Park serving as the head of the delegation. With the deadline for the Korea-U.S. mutual tariff negotiations approaching on August 1, the appointment of a business leader is seen as a move to provide support on trade issues.

Former Chairman Park previously interacted with President Lee in 2022 through a conversation series titled "Manmun Myungdap (Park Yongman Asks, Lee Jaemyung Answers)." Supreme Council member Han assisted President Lee as chief aide during the 20th presidential election campaign. Lawmaker Kim served as chief policy coordinator during Lee's tenure as party leader.

As a result, Kim Chongin, former emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, and Lee Eonju, Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, who were previously mentioned as possible envoys to the U.S., appear to have been excluded from the final list. In a radio interview the previous day, former Chairman Kim addressed reports that he had been nominated and then dropped as a special envoy, saying, "Since I said I would go, there is no need to refuse or anything like that," and added, "If they ask me to go, I will go; if not, it doesn't matter."

Meanwhile, a European Union (EU) presidential special envoy visiting Brussels, Belgium, delivered a personal letter containing President Lee Jaemyung's message to Antonio Costa, President of the European Council. President Costa expressed his hope to hold a Korea-EU summit as soon as possible. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the EU special envoy, led by former Environment Minister Yoon Yeojoon, visited the EU Council and European Parliament in Brussels on July 15 (local time) and met with key officials. The delegation included Democratic Party lawmakers Jun Hyunhee and Son Myoungsoo.

The personal letter delivered by the envoy to President Costa reportedly contained President Lee's message on strengthening Korea-EU relations. The delegation explained the significance of the new administration's launch and the restoration of Korean democracy, and expressed the government's commitment to advancing the "Korea-EU Strategic Partnership," which marks its 15th anniversary this year. In particular, both sides agreed to further strengthen practical cooperation in key areas, including advanced science and technology such as artificial intelligence (AI), as well as global issues such as the climate crisis.