Yoon likely to tap ex-envoy to Britain for UN ambassador

President Yoon Suk-yeol is likely to tap Hwang Joon-kook, a former ambassador to Britain, as his first ambassador to the United Nations, sources said Thursday.

Hwang is a former career member of the foreign service with years of experience handling the North Korean nuclear issue. He served as head of a supporters’ association for Yoon during the presidential campaign.

Under the Park Geun-hye administration, Hwang served as chief negotiator for defense cost-sharing negotiations with the United States and chief envoy to negotiations over North Korea’s nuclear program.

From 2016 to 2018, Hwang was the ambassador in London.

Meanwhile, other names being considered for ambassadorships are Rep. Cho Tae-yong for ambassador to the US; Yun Duk-min, former head of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, for ambassador to Japan; Chung Jae-ho, a professor of political science and international relations at Seoul National University, for ambassador to China; and Chang Ho-jin, former top envoy to Cambodia, for ambassador to Russia. (Yonhap)