Seokbae Lee Appointed as Ambassador to Russia, Jihoon Cha, 'President Lee's Training Institute Classmate,' Named as Ambassador to the UN

It has been confirmed that Seokbae Lee, a Russia expert and former Ambassador to Russia, has been nominated as the first Ambassador to Russia under the Lee Jaemyung administration. It is also reported that Jihoon Cha, an attorney at HwaWoo Law Firm, has been appointed as Ambassador to the United Nations.

Former Ambassador Lee has held various positions related to Russia throughout his diplomatic career, including Director of the Second European Division in charge of Russia, Consul General in Saint Petersburg, Minister at the Embassy in Russia, and Consul General in Vladivostok. He served as Ambassador to Russia from 2019 to 2022 during the Moon Jaein administration. He is known for his outstanding proficiency in Russian, having served as an interpreter at past summits, and is regarded as having a relatively objective perspective on Russia.

Seokbae Lee Former Ambassador to Russia Yonhap News Agency

Meanwhile, ahead of the 80th United Nations General Assembly High-Level Session to be held in New York, United States, on September 23, it has been reported that Attorney Cha has been appointed as Ambassador to the United Nations. The position of Ambassador to the United Nations does not require the agr?ment (prior consent for diplomatic envoys) process. Attorney Cha, who passed the 28th bar exam (18th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute), was a classmate of President Lee in both the bar exam and the training institute. It is said that they became acquainted through academic activities during their time at the training institute. Attorney Cha also participated in President Lee's legal defense team during the 2020 violation of the Public Official Election Act case, which resulted in a Supreme Court ruling overturning the conviction and sending the case back for retrial on the grounds of innocence, when Lee was Governor of Gyeonggi Province.

He graduated from Suncheon High School in Jeonnam and the Department of Law at Seoul National University. He earned a Master of Laws (LLM) from American University in the United States and completed a doctoral program in law. He has been active in the Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyun), and has served as a member of the National Police Agency Human Rights Committee, an expert member of the Supreme Court Judicial Reform Committee, and an arbitrator at the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board.