Following is the first in a series of articles on President-elect Park Geun-hye’s key advisers and close associates. ― Ed.


Armed with expertise and experience, a far-flung yet focused cadre of counselors is girded up to help president-elect Park Geun-hye sail through daunting foreign policy challenges and the fast-evolving security landscape over the next five years.

Fresh off a grueling election victory, she now will face the tricky tasks of tackling frigid ties with North Korea, a balancing position between the U.S. and China, and simmering feuds with Japan. 

Park’s foreign relations and unification team consists of about 30 former high-ranking diplomats, military big shots and senior officials from related government agencies, as well as renowned academics.

Leading the inner circle is Yun Byung-se, a former deputy foreign minister and senior presidential secretary on security policy for the Roh Moo-hyun administration from 2006-07.

Kim Jang-soo, a former defense minister who has spearheaded military reform, is her core security strategy craftsman. He was a proportional representative for the ruling Saenuri Party in the 18th National Assembly until May.

Yun, 59, boasts a hands-on background such as his participation in the 2007 inter-Korean summit between Roh and late autocrat Kim Jong-il.

He had helped sketch out her roadmap for a peaceful Northeast Asia, “trustpolitik” and national reunification. The package touches on everything from denuclearizing the North and Eurasia-wide cooperation to economic diplomacy and climate efforts.

During the campaign, Park vowed to launch a three-way security dialogue with the U.S. and China, and an additional two trilateral consultations involving the two Koreas and China, and Russia, respectively. Her “Northeast Asian Peace and Cooperation Initiative” added an Asian twist to the Helsinki process in Europe.

“We plan to make security and dialogue work in tandem, like the two axes of a wheel,” Yun told a radio interview last month.

“That means that we will handle North Korean policy and foreign, security and reunification policies with an integrated, balanced perspective, and that we will put stress on cross-border ties and international relations at the same time.”

Another key member is Choi Dae-seok, a professor and director of the Institute of Unification Studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul who is believed to have advised Park since several years ago.

Kim Young-mok, a former New York consul general, has been one of Park’s special advisors on unification and foreign affairs and Nam Jae-joon, a former army chief of staff, on defense and security.

Park Sun-young, a former lawmaker campaigning for defector rights, is also advising the incoming president on North Korean issues.

The president-elect has been lining up support from incumbent Saenuri lawmakers with related backgrounds. They include Kim Jong-hoon, a former trade minister, and Shim Yoon-joe, a former deputy foreign minister.

A bulk of her aides including Yun and Choi served at the National Future Institute, her think tank launched in December 2010 with about 80 scholars, former government officials and businesspeople specialized in areas including economics, foreign affairs, defense, culture and social welfare.

Among those from the academic circles are Ryu Gil- jae of the University of North Korean Studies, Hong Yong-pyo of Hanyang University, Lee Jung-min of Yonsei University and Yoo Hyun-suk of Kyung Hee University.

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)