ROK gets 1st female foreign minister
SEOUL — A United Nations veteran was appointed on Sunday as the Republic of Korea’s first female foreign minister, tasked with easing tensions over the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s nuclear ambitions.
Kang Kyung-wha, 62, served as deputy high commissioner for human rights and assistant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs before becoming a senior policy adviser to UN chief Antonio Guterres this year.
Her appointment by President Moon Jae-in comes less than two weeks before Moon’s first trip to the United States for a summit with President Donald Trump as fears grow over Pyongyang’s weapons programme.
The DPRK has staged a series of missile launches this year, defying global pressure and triggering tightened UN sanctions.
Kang served at the ROK’s Foreign Ministry for years before joining the UN.
Her diplomatic experience will help the ROK navigate tricky waters and tackle sensitive issues with allies and neighbours, Moon’s office said.
Moon, a center-left politician who took office after the ousting of impeached president Park Geun-Hye, has advocated dialogue with the DPRK to bring it to the negotiating table — in a break from his conservative predecessors who took a hardline stance.
Ties with the US have also come under some strain recently over the controversial deployment of a US anti-missile system in the ROK.
The ROK under Park agreed last year to install the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system to guard against threats from the DPRK.