Lee Jae-myung, leader of South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party, on Friday appointed Kim Hyun-chong, a veteran trade negotiator and key architect of the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement, as his special adviser on foreign affairs and national security.
Kim, a former trade minister and deputy national security adviser under former President Moon Jae-in, served as South Korea’s key negotiator on trade and security during US President Donald Trump’s first term.
Kim said he accepted the role to help “build a strong and prosperous” Korea as global and security dynamics continue to shift rapidly.
“Above all, today marks the 19th day since the launch of the second Trump administration. Countries around the world are making all-out efforts to respond to an increasingly aggressive US protectionist trade regime,” Kim said in his statement after receiving his appointment certificate from Lee during a meeting of the Democratic Party’s Supreme Council at the National Assembly.
“This, too, requires more sophisticated preparation, building on the experience of Trump's first term."
Kim emphasized the importance of maintaining a “balance of interests” in negotiations, a principle he upheld during his tenure as trade minister under the Roh Moo-hyun and Moon Jae-in administrations and later as deputy national security adviser under Moon.
“This balance applies not only between us and our counterparts, but also between what we gain and what we must not compromise,” Kim said. “Securing tangible concessions that enhance our diplomatic leverage is just as crucial.”
Kim also noted that security concerns now extend beyond traditional diplomacy and defense to include science, energy, technology and supply chains.
“This marks a significant shift, giving rise to the concept of comprehensive security,” he said. “South Korea must develop a strategy that aligns with this evolving security landscape.”
Who is Kim Hyun-chong
Kim led the renegotiation of the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement signed by Moon and Trump in 2018, while leading the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
From 2019 to 2021, Kim served as deputy national security adviser under Moon, stepping in after the abrupt breakdown of the second US-North Korea summit in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Kim played a key role in mediating policy differences between Seoul and Washington on North Korea and oversaw the suspension of South Korea’s military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan — a move that irked the US but was Seoul’s response to Tokyo’s 2019 export restrictions on South Korean firms.
During his tenure, South Korea and the US agreed to revise missile guidelines in 2020, fully lifting restrictions on South Korea’s use of solid fuel for space launch vehicles.
Under President Roh Moo-hyun, Kim became the first civilian trade minister in 2004, when the post was under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Kim notably led negotiations for the Korea-US free trade agreement signed in 2007 and played a key role in securing other trade agreements with over 40 countries, including Korea’s top trading partners.
Kim later served as South Korea’s ambassador to the United Nations from 2007 to 2008.
From 1999 to 2003, Kim served as a senior lawyer in the WTO’s Appellate Body Secretariat and Legal Affairs Division. He obtained his bachelor’s, master’s and Juris Doctor degree from Columbia University in New York.
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com
